Like A Thief In The Night
by Jaqs
Summary: Post Recon. Detective Ford gets called out on a Friday night to investigate a break-in.
1. Chapter 1

Note: first off, I really have to apologise for not updating Are Birds Free before now. I have done a bit more to it and really will get back to it when I have the time to devote the attention it requires. But heaven help me I should be compiling a presentation tonight and instead I found this premise stuck in my head since last nights episode and begging to come out. Kinda rushed and quickly proof-read so I apologise for any mistakes. Not sure where the hell I'm going with it, we'll see. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy!

**Like A Thief In The Night**

**Chapter 1**

James grumbled under his breath as he strode down the dimly lit corridor. It was nearly 9 at night, his shift had technically already finished, yet here he was called out to a break-in at some fancy ass research facility. A seemingly deserted research facility he noted by the lack of… anyone. Even they had somewhere better to be. To make matters worse, the doc who was supposed to meet him hadn't answered her office phone when he arrived and so the security guy had just pointed him in some vague direction and here he was, traipsing unfamiliar halls. Though at least now he'd had a legitimate excuse to call off the latest blind-date Miles had forced upon him.

He was just about to round yet another corner, when a blur of movement jumped out of the shadows and he felt a mild stinging sensation in his knee.

"What the hell???" He jumped back and looked down at the foam Nerf dart now laying at his feet, then back up to meet the shocked face of the blonde before him.

"You're not my nephew." She stated blankly, her confusion now evident.

"Ya think??? Gee, what gave it away?" He retorted with exasperation and angrily bent down to swipe the offending weapon, not missing the slight smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"I'm so sorry, Mr…."

"Ford, Detective Ford." He flashed his badge at her.

"You're here for the break-in. Dr Burke." She stuck her hand out, which he reluctantly shook.

"On the contrary, Lee Harvey, can't think of no better way to get my kicks on a Friday night than getting my kneecaps shot at in dark corridors."

"Thought you said you were a detective," she noted wryly with an arched brow before turning to open the nearest door. He watched, arms crossed, as she stuck her head in, toy gun cocked. Apparently not finding what she was looking for, she retreated and repeated the process at the next door down.

"Yo, crazy commando lady! What'cha doin'? You do realise I was kiddin' when I said I had nothin' better to do?"

"Looking for my nephew. Then I'll show you the lab," she looked back and flashed him a grin, which he returned despite himself, shaking his head. "Promise."

"You sure he really exists? This place seems pretty deserted and doesn't strike me as a kid's playground." It was her turn to look exasperated. She closed the door and folded her arms defiantly as she leaned against it.

"Of course he exists. Three-year old, blonde hair and brown eyes – about this height. You sure you didn't see him? Could have sworn he ran this way." She pushed back off the door and carried on down the corridor. He glared at her back and had no choice but to follow.

"OK, so let's say he's not a figment of your imagination, instead you're just a terrible aunt. Who in their right mind would have a toddler in a place like this?" She stopped abruptly and he ran into her, grabbing her shoulders to steady himself. "Hey!"

"Hey yourself." She rounded on him in anger, poking a finger into his chest and causing him to step back slightly. "I'm _not_ a bad aunt. You have no idea. He's perfectly safe – it's not like I let him loose on a Bunsen burner or anything. I didn't plan on my lab getting trashed this afternoon, nor did I plan on having to wait four hours for some _dude_ of a cop to show up when he feels like it." Eyes flashing with fury, it was at this point that he allowed himself to see past his own infuriation at the situation and notice how stunning she was. He summoned an easy grin complete with dimples, and was about to open his mouth to speak when she held her palm up to silence him.

"Don't even," she practically growled and spun on her heel to stalk down the hallway. "Julian! Game's over buddy!" He sighed in resignation. Scratch that… just infuriating.

Before he knew it, they rounded a final corner and they were back where he started. There sitting chatting happily with the security guy was obviously the nephew in question, a similar nerf gun slung on his back.

"Hey scamp, whatcha doing out here bugging Brian." Her voice immediately softened; all traces of her previous anger gone. She reached the desk and the boy lifted his arms up to be picked up, the picture of innocence. "I'm pretty sure running off is breaking the rules. I'm sorry Brian."

"It's no problem Dr Burke. He's been showing me his sharp shooting skills."

"Well I'm sure Detective Ford here would wish you'd teach me." She grinned as she tickled the now squirming toddler in her arms.

"When we going home?" he asked, fighting off a yawn.

"Soon, baby, I promise. I'm sorry we've been stuck in here tonight." She kissed him lightly on the forehead and set him back down on the desk and James almost felt guilty at her words. Almost because, well, he got here as soon as he got the call and glancing at his watch it was now well after 9. It's his Friday night too that's being wasted!

"Brian, would you mind terribly keeping an eye on him a little longer. The sooner I get this over with, the sooner we get outta your hair. You got those CCTV discs?"

"Sure thing Dr B, he's no trouble." He handed her a dvd case with what James assumed to be security footage and turned back to the boy. "What say you and me watch a bit of the Lakers game while your aunt finishes up?" She thanked him once more and ruffled the youngster's hair as she backed away.

"Remember he's Miami Heat through and through. My sister _will_ make me fire you if you corrupt him." She joked and James noted the guard smiled back, obviously not in the least concerned for his job. He found himself wondering if she really could fire the guy and took the opportunity as she walked back over to admire her long legs, barely contained by the smart, no nonsense skirt and heels. On looking back up the smirk was back and he could tell he was busted. It turned into a saccharine smile as she reached where he stood.

"Sorry about the wait, detective. Shall we?" and headed back down the corridor. Was he going to spend the whole night trailing her around?

"Sorry my ass," he muttered as he rushed to catch up with her retreating form, grabbing his notebook out his pocket.

"So, you own this place?"

"Hmm," she nodded affirmatively, "Along with my partner, Dr Young. Fertility research, mostly government funded – a few charities." Her heels clicked along at a steady pace as she navigated the dark halls with ease. James struggled to write and keep up.

"Staff?"

"Oh, about 75 all in. 20 scientists across 4 projects, technicians, handful of students, clerical staff, security and a couple of lab managers."

"Maintenance and cleaning?"

"It's contracted out, I'll get their details from my office for you."

"What's the security level? Looks like the building's fairly new." He noted as he took in the furnishings.

"We're quite a young organisation, just moved here about a year ago. There's 8 security guys." They came to a set of double doors and she swiped the card hanging round her neck. "Most areas are swipe access only. Anyway 8 guys on shift, Larry's in charge. There's 2 during the day, 1 at night. Brian pulled all of today's footage for you," she handed him the dvd and stopped at a door, letting them into a nice corner office. She switched on the light and he winced slightly at the sudden brightness. Reaching for a pen, she flicked open a laptop and leaned over it as she tapped some keys. He couldn't help the eyeful of cleavage he saw as her shirt gaped slightly and as he was pretty sure she was oblivious this time, he let himself enjoy the show for a few seconds before clearing his throat to fill the silence.

"I'm uh, sorry I said you were a bad aunt… and that I doubted his existence." She looked up from the screen and affixed him with an unnervingly cool gaze for a long beat.

"It's fine. Don't sweat it." She murmured before resuming her search. She quickly found what she was looking for and scribbled down some info on a pad. Tearing the sheet off, she handed it to him.

"The maintenance company." Definitely a doctor, he thought as he squinted at the feminine scrawl. She shut the laptop once more and swiftly led them back out the room.

"So how did someone so young and so pretty get their own medical research company?" He drawled as they rounded yet another corner and into a corridor with predominantly glass walls. She swiped at another door, then swiftly punched some numbers into a keypad.

"By being good at my job," she stated, without the slightest hint of arrogance as the door swished open. He joined her at the threshold and surveyed the mess before them. Broken glass covered most surfaces, paper strewn out of open drawers and various instruments he couldn't even begin to name littered the floor.

"You noticed this when? Nobody saw or heard anything? With all this going on?" The last he asked incredulously.

"3pm. My staff work damn hard and so Fridays are half days. There was nobody else still in this part of the building by that time."

"But you were still here?"

"I'm the boss, we don't get half days." She stated wryly. Workaholic he mentally noted, in addition to his written notes.

"Can you tell if anything is missing?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't been in. As soon as I saw this I locked it back up and called you guys. Thought it best to preserve the scene. I'm pretty sure that laptop wasn't on before though," she pointed to a machine in the far corner under a window.

"Preserve the scene," he scoffed lightly. "Lady, this isn't an episode of CSI. This kinda thing isn't usually on my radar. I'm a vice man, organised crime. This looks like some disgruntled geek has had a temper tantrum."

"Then why are you here?" she retorted angrily

"Cos I'm the only one stupid enough to answer the call on a Friday night!"

"Then I guess you're not familiar with intellectual property law and just how much my research would be worth to some people."

"I guess I ain't!" He sighed in frustration.

"Well," she answered with a sereneness once more that annoyed the hell out of him, "maybe you should be, Mr vice-man." Arms folded, she dared him to challenge her.

"Are you married?"

"Excuse me?" He congratulated himself with a smug grin as her cool façade slipped for a millisecond. "And how is that relevant to the case?"

"Just wonderin'," he shrugged, _if anyone would be crazy enough to put up with you,_ he silently added in his head. "Don't want to eliminate any avenue of enquiry just yet."

"Divorced." Figures.

"So this is your own personal lab?"

"Yes, only those who have to have access know the code. I change it every other week." OK, he thought, paranoid as well as a shrew. He thought back to how she was with the boy and security guard. Maybe shrew was a bit harsh, or this level of crazy was reserved just for him. This was definitely shaping up to be the one of the weirdest routine call-outs he'd been on. He looked up from his notebook to catch a sad and worried expression on her face as she surveyed the disaster zone and his heart softened slightly. Damn if she wasn't beautiful.

"I'll get you a list of those who has access." She stated softly "I can't believe any of them would do this." She sounded as if someone had broken her favourite toy, not merely trashed a lab. "This is my little sanctuary from the world, y'know?" She looked over to him and he swore her azure eyes seemed watery for a beat. He felt like he could see right into her soul. It didn't last and the mask of indifference soon reappeared, leaving him to wonder if he had imagined her pain. He sighed deeply, cursing the words that were about to come out his mouth.

"Look, I'll get the forensic guys to come out first thing tomorrow take a look. Will you be around?"

"I guess if I have to be." She smiled slightly. They stepped back and she punched in a number to close the door once more. Returning to her office, she retrieved her coat and briefcase, along with a kid's rucksack and jacket. He leaned against the doorframe and silently watched her get ready to leave.

"I'm sorry you had to come all this way out on a Friday night," she apologised as they walked back towards the front desk. "What time does your shift finish?"

"You askin' me out on a date, Blondie?" he shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and drawled with a slow grin. She snorted inelegantly and covered her mouth with her hand and he'd be lying if he said it didn't sting a little.

"Hardly. I've already got one blonde haired charmer to keep me busy tonight," she alluded to the little boy now fast asleep in a chair as the middle-aged Brian puttered about watering plants. She nodded her thanks as she gently roused him enough to get the jacket on and lift him into her arms. The boy muttered something intelligible as he put his arms round her neck and burrowed his face into her shoulder. She smiled and James couldn't help but smile too at the sight.

"Well in that case, I got off over two hours ago." She looked back in surprise at this.

"Oh! In that case I really _am_ sorry." She reached for her case once more and struggled to balance everything in her arms. He held the front door open and she flashed him a grateful smile before pausing to wish Brian goodnight. He saluted the guy and followed her out into the night. The smile turned into yet another smirk as she stopped and turned back towards him.

"In that case you really _are _stupid for answering the call."

"Wow. Wounded, right here." He pointed to his chest. She shook her head and went to turn away. "Wait!" He whispered loudly, not wanting to wake the kid. She stopped and looked back, brow arched in question.

"Just realised I've got one really important question still to ask ya. Ya got a first name Dr Blondie?"

"You really aren't much of a detective, are you James?" She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly.

"Huh? How the hell did you…"

"You showed me your badge, remember? It's Juliet."

"Juliet." He repeated, letting it roll off his tongue. It suited her. "So Juliet, your work really worth a lot of money?"

She shrugged and her nephew mumbled once more. "Millions. Night detective." With a toss of her hair she slipped off in the direction of her car. He watched, speechless as she strapped the boy in and jumped in, her taillights quickly disappearing into the night.

Shit, he thought. Just what the hell had he gotten himself into?


	2. Chapter 2

So forensic science I know inside out and have deliberately taken a little dramatic licence with, but with US law enforcement I'm clueless so have no idea how a break-in investigation should be run. Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews, they definitely brighten up my day and keep me plugging away. Anyway on with the show.

**Chapter 2**

"So this is it? This is my tax-dollars at work?"

"It was the best I could get. This is LA. There was a double homicide called in earlier this morning and resources are kinda stretched. I hate to break it to ya doc, but the State don't consider this a priority right now."

"One guy with a camera and some white powder? Seriously?" Hands on her hips, Juliet looked on in distain as one solitary man in a white scene-suit flicked powder onto a workbench in her lab.

"Yeah, but Mike here's the best. If there's anythin' to be found, he'll get it, no problem. Especially since you did such a good job preservin' the scene." Juliet looked over in irritation at the smug cop from the previous night. He was ridiculously good-looking, and knew it – which annoyed the hell out of her. He steadfastly ignored her glare and as she watched him write something in his notebook, she couldn't decide if he was incompetent or just thought this was all beneath him.

"Then why isn't he working that homicide?" He looked up in surprise at her challenge. He silently held her gaze for a second before breaking out that damn grin of his and it took all her willpower not to back down and look away. He wasn't getting off that easy. She noticed he shook his head slightly when the realisation dawned she was being serious and expected an answer, the grin losing some of its wattage.

"Cos, sweetheart, today's yer lucky day. Old Mike was off shift, but I personally called in a favour to get him come take a look. He'll dust for prints, swab for DNA, take photos and anything else he might come across. The whole she-bang. The laptop, unfortunately he'll have to package up and take back to the lab. Hope you have a spare."

"Well, I certainly feel bathed in good fortune right now. You think up nicknames for every member of the public when you're working a case, detective?"

"Just the pretty ones." She rolled her eyes at this and prayed the colour of her cheeks wouldn't betray her. With a shake of the head she turned away from the lab and back down the hallway.

"Coffee?" she half-heartedly tossed back over her shoulder.

"Thought ya'd never ask."

#####

"Can you think of anyone else who'd want to steal yer work? Or even just cause this level of disruption?" They had gone over her statement and the list of personnel who had access to her lab and had arranged that he would be back first thing on Monday to question them pending any lab results from that morning.

"Other than my ex-husband?" she couldn't help the slight sarcastic edge to her voice and he looked up from his notes sharply.

"He in the same business then? Why would you say that?"

"Cos he's an asshole." He went back to scribbling, and she grew slightly panicked as she craned her neck to see what he was writing. She had just been venting her frustration, but he seemed to be taking her remark seriously.

"What's his name?"

"Edmund Burke – look I wasn't really being serious, not even he would stoop that low and he's all the way over in Miami for Christ's sake!"

"You gonna trust me to do my job? If he ain't involved, he ain't involved. You have to tell me everything. Look, I know you think I'm just some dumb hick, but I know what I'm doing here." His face contorted into a slight scowl and she pushed back from her seat, rising to put some distance between them.

"I don't…" she trailed off unable to lie that she hadn't been thinking just that. "OK. But please don't contact him unless you absolutely have to. I'd rather he didn't know about this."

"So where's the rugrat today?" He changed gears, dropping the investigation for the moment as she cleared up their empty cups and rinsed them in the sink of the small break room they had occupied. She looked back at him quizzically, trying to determine if he was genuinely interested, but he was looking back down, shuffling his papers into order. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, it would be impolite not to answer, despite her wanting nothing than to get rid of him so she could get out of there and enjoy what was left of her Saturday. Although the scene examiner was still doing his thing and she doubted he'd leave until it was finished. She'd let the silence drag on too long though and he noticed, looking up with eyebrows raised in question.

"He's with his mom." She stated simply, grabbing a towel and dried the cups as a distraction.

"The deluded Miami Heat fan?" She grinned at this despite herself and he caught it. "Ah, that smile tells me she ain't the only one, huh? That where you're from?" She nodded and resignedly sat back down at the table. He wasn't going to give up with the small talk.

"Yeah, born and raised. We moved out here so I could start up this place. Year, year and a half ago." She toyed with a pen and hoped if she kept it vague he'd notice her reluctance to talk about herself and give up. If he did however, he ignored it and ploughed straight on regardless.

"Wow, that's really somethin' that she packed up and moved cross-country with you, family in tow. How did her husband take it?"

"She doesn't have one. It's just us. She's been ill for a long while and whilst she's fine now, Julian takes up all her time, so she insisted she had nothing keeping her in Miami. I'm pretty sure she just couldn't bear to lose the free babysitter." Why on earth was she talking about this to a practical stranger? A stranger that had done nothing but irritate her since last night. She looked up and into his eyes and her breath caught slightly at the warmth in them as he held her gaze. Her mind went blank and she would have struggled if someone asked what they were talking about.

"Yeah I'm sure that must be the only reason." He smirked and the moment was broken. He was back to being the infuriating cop she couldn't wait to get rid of.

"So what about you? That doesn't sound like a local accent you've got." She asked, steering the conversation away from herself.

"Nope. Alabama ma'am," He stated; a perfect imitation of the Southern gent she highly doubted he was. "Had to come where the crime was."

"How long have you worked for the LAPD then?"

"You tryin' to suss out if I'm up to the job, Blondie?" He winked at her and before she could think up a retort continued, "Over 10 years now, don't worry. Nearly 6 as a detective in Vice." Leaning forward to prop her chin in the palm of her hand, she regarded him thoughtfully. As the silence stretched on, he sat back in his seat, fidgeting slightly and she savoured the small victory.

"Why Vice?" She eventually ventured to ask. "Isn't it Homicide where all the glory is? You could be out there now with this morning's case, rather than stuck here with me fretting over some computer files."

"Nah, I like catching crooks and conmen. I'm all about the thrill of the chase with these guys - cat and mouse. From time to time we get pulled into serious organised crime as well. Plus the hours tend to be a bit more sociable." He grinned but it seemed more forced than before and she sensed that maybe her questioning had hit a nerve.

"And anyway, it's not everyday I get to be of assistance to a medical miracle worker. That kid, Julian, am I right in thinkin' he's the one your sister was told she could never have, but you made it happen?" She laughed slightly despite herself at his assessment.

"Something like that. You've been doing your homework? I'm impressed. Why all the questions then if you knew the answers?" He leaned back, pleased with himself and nonchalantly crossed his arms. He shrugged before answering.

"The wonders of Google. Gotta know what I'm up against, don't I?"

Before either could say anything more, however, a knock resounded on the door Mike (or so she assumed was Mike, she couldn't see his face before) stuck his head in.

"That's me done Jim." James nodded and rose to collect his paperwork. "Dr Burke, that's you free to clean up and use your lab once more, I have everything that I need."

"Thank you." Juliet rose too and walked both men out to the door. "I really appreciate you both coming out on a Saturday for this."

"Don't mention it ma'am, we're just doing our job. Rest assured I'm making it a priority to catch whoever did this. I'll be back on Monday morning for those statements." He stuck out his hand and Juliet shook it somewhat bemusedly. In the whole… 16 or so hours she'd known this guy, this was by far the most professional he'd been. Then he squeezed her hand just a little too hard, the smirk quirked at the corner of his mouth and she realised it was all for show in front of his colleague. She rolled her eyes in response and quickly snatched her hand back.

"Gentlemen." She nodded politely to an oblivious Mike and shot James an icy glare. He struggled to bite back a laugh.

"Dr Burke." They turned and headed out into the sunshine. Once they were out of sight, she wilted and slumped back slightly against the concierge desk. It had certainly been an exhausting morning.


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, so many reviews, so many thank-yous to make! Love them all, so grateful to those that took the time. I will get back to writing my other fic soon, I promise. I'm off for Easter now so have a bit more time on my hands. But in the meantime, this one is just being so much easier to write at the moment. I hope people aren't _too_ mad. Oh and just to throw this out there, I'm toying with the idea of not having them remember at all.

**Chapter 3**

James swiped a hand over his face in frustration and tossed the papers onto his desk. It had been a long day and he didn't feel that he had gotten any further forward with this break-in. There had been no forced entry, so it just _had_ to be someone with access. The doc had said she'd last been in first thing that morning around 9am and her PA had confirmed that they had entered briefly at 11am to pick up some file. Everything was fine by that point. Juliet had then left the building to attend a consult until 2pm, whilst a grad student had been working in there for about an hour between 11.30 and 12.30, before leaving. The electronic keycard records he had obtained from security supported all this and nothing seemed suspicious from talking to either the PA or student.

The only solid lead he had was that at 12.45 a security master keycard had been used to gain access and leave again 10 minutes later. It could have been anyone, but they had to also know the numbered code, which Little Miss Paranoid changed less than a week previous. Well, maybe she was justified in being wary, he grudgingly admitted. Having then interviewed the remaining four staff on her list and double checked with the head of security that the swipe records backed up where they all stated they were throughout the morning, everything seemed to add up.

He sighed and took a swig of luke-warm coffee. Time to look through the security feed to see if it would shed any light on it. He popped the disc into his computer and as he hovered the mouse over the icon to run the footage, he found his eye drawn to an open browser minimised on his taskbar. Finding himself wanting to open it, he looked back up at the video icon, torn between what to do. _Ah hell with it_, he thought, background was just as important. There was nothing at all to be read into how oddly fascinated and drawn to her – no, he shook his head as if to clear it – it: the case. He was drawn to the case; that was all. "_Yeah right,_" he could almost hear her mocking tone in his head. Dammit.

He maximised the browser and up popped a lengthy medical bio, complete with photos and press links. He'd barely seen her that morning; she'd been flying out the door to some hospital emergency as he arrived and he refused to admit to himself that he was a little disappointed. He'd learned that it was a common occurrence; she did her research at the lab, but treated her patients at St Sebastian's in the city.

"Who's the chick?" Miles' voice right in his ear caused him to jump and curse. How the hell had he managed to sneak up like that? "Is this what the department's block on internet porn has reduced you to? She's hot, I'll give you that."

"She's part of this break-in I'm workin', Dingbat. It's called background research, you might have heard of it?" He hissed, quickly scrolling down some to make it look like he had actually been reading. Miles snorted derisively.

"Whatever." Leaning in he read over James' shoulder, "_Fertility specialist's fledgling company brings in $1 million NIH grant._ She's way outta your league, man. Now my girl Stacey who you unceremoniously dumped on Friday night…"

"Can it, Ghengis. It ain't like that. And hear this – no more blind dates, I'm done so you can quit wastin' yer time!" He growled and angrily closed the browser as Miles smirked and sat down at his own desk.

"So how is the crime of the century going anyway? Catch who stole the glass beaker yet?"

"Cute. More like million dollar research. Though I have to admit we don't know what, if anything's been taken yet. Looks like they trashed the place as a distraction and hacked into a laptop, but I've still to hear back what tech have found." Miles ran a hand over his hair as he considered this.

"Inside job?"

"Has to be. Security's too tight for it to be someone off the street. I've narrowed it down to someone using a master swipe card around midday, but they had to know the security code too. Was about to run through the security feed and see what it shows up. What you workin' on?" It was Miles turn to sigh in frustration as he tossed a pen onto his desk.

"Been chasing up a new lead that came in on Walsh and his crew, but it didn't pan out. Back to the drawing board I guess. Want a fresh coffee?" He stood up once more and gestured to James' empty cup.

"Sure," he replied distractedly as he started the video and set it to fastforward until the time he wanted. Miles left with the cups and nodded to Mike on his way out. The examiner made his way over to James' desk, manila folder in hand.

"Hey Ford, got the DNA results for your burglary back, thought you'd want to take a look." James took the offered folder and flipped it open.

"Anything?" He asked as he scanned the first page, then looked back up at Mike.

"Depends what you're looking for, I guess. I gotta run, call me if you have any questions."

"Thanks Hoss," James returned with a mock salute and looked back down through the results. What he found wasn't too encouraging. All the DNA found belonged to either: Juliet, the PA or student, nobody else. Not even the keypad out front. Whilst that didn't mean there hadn't been anybody else in there, they hadn't left any discernable trace. Flipping back to the front he started again, this time taking note of where the DNA was found. One interesting thing was found – the student had touched the keys of the laptop. She hadn't mentioned using it in her statement. He'll need to follow up on that.

"Yo Ford!" Miles hollered as he entered the room with two steaming cups. "Your blonde bimbo's out front asking for you."

"Huh?"

"The baby doc." He rolled his eyes and set James' coffee down. James jumped up and strode out the room, telling himself it was only out of concern for the case, he wasn't pleased to see her or anything. "You're welcome Jackass!" He heard Miles shout as he retreated.

He arrived at the front desk to find her standing with her back to him, clutching her briefcase and head bowed, looking down at her feet. He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms, watching her for a second as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Missing me already Blondie?" He drawled. Her head snapped up to regard him with wide eyes and there was no mistaking the agitation in her posture. He immediately straightened and rushed over to her in concern. "What's wrong? Has something happened? Are you OK?" He unconsciously reached out to touch her arm and she flinched slightly before stepping back out his reach.

"I'm probably overreacting, but you said I had to tell you if anything happened. I just…" She put a hand to her forehead and took shaky breath before continuing, "I know news travels, but how could he have found out so quickly? Have you questioned him already?"

"Woah, slow down. You ain't making any sense." She took another deep breath and he could see her composure returning. She reached into her case and pulled out a sheet of paper, passing it to him.

"I got an email this afternoon from my ex-husband. He knows about the… incident. Have you contacted him?" James looked down at the print-out, skimming over a rather nasty email, her ex practically taunting her over the break-in. He looked back up at her, but she refused to meet his eyes, obviously embarrassed at what he'd just read.

"No, I haven't." He stated softly. "Sounds like a swell guy." She laughed a short, humourless laugh, closing her eyes briefly. "Let me take you through somewhere a bit more comfortable." She allowed him to lead her through the bull-pen, ignoring Miles' curious gaze and into an empty interview room. On taking in the sparse table and chairs and the 2-way mirror on the wall, she raised an eyebrow at him and struggled not to smile.

"Should I be contacting my lawyer, officer?" she asked in a bemused voice and he grinned, glad her sarcastic wit was returning and she was looking less shaken. Huh, he thought as he pulled out a seat for her, when had she ceased to be just plain infuriating?

"Well that depends, you got somethin' to confess?"

"And make life easy for you? I don't think so," she smirked. He took a seat opposite and looked over the email once more.

"Seriously though, why aren't I a suspect?" She asked evenly. He looked up in surprise and she maintained eye-contact until he was forced to look away.

"You make a habit of stealing from yourself do you?"

"Maybe I'm attention seeking. Maybe I'm crazy."

"That I can believe, Princess." He grinned and it was her turn to look away first. "Anyway… As I said, I haven't been in touch with him, yet. Is this an unusual occurrence?"

"The email itself or the tone?" She grimaced.

"Both I guess." She clasped her hands and rested them on the table, fingers fidgeting.

"It's been a few months, but the language is nothing new. He's always been an arrogant and spiteful bastard."

"Quite the catch, can see why you'd fall for his charms." She flashed him a look of cold anger and he immediately put his hands up, chastised. "Sorry, outta order - I apologise. None of my business. But this is worth looking into. Thanks for bringing it in." Her gaze softened and she nodded, acknowledging his apology.

"So, found anything yet?"

"Uh, sort of. It seems a master swipe-card was used just after midday to gain access. I was just about to start going through the video footage, when I got the DNA results back." He pushed his chair back and stood up, "Hold on, I'll go get the file."

A knock sounded on the door and he answered it to reveal Miles standing there with what looked like his file. He attempted to gain entry, but James blocked him, leaving him craning his neck in an attempt to see in.

"Hey, thought you could use the file. Also tech dropped this report off. Need a hand?" He asked hopefully.

"Actually yeah," Miles' face brightened and he made a move to enter once more, only to be halted by James' palm to his chest. "Want a coffee, Blondie?" He tossed back over his shoulder. She looked up and smiled at Miles.

"Sure, that would be great, thanks."

"Blondie?" Miles lowered his voice and smirked. "That the best you could come up with? Losing your touch there, Jim." James didn't rise to the bait and just looked at him expectantly. "What? You want me to get you coffee, you're serious?"

"Black with two sugars for the lady, I'll have my usual. Thanks Chief." He gave Miles a gentle shove back for emphasis.

"And I'm supposed to believe that it's out of professional interest that you know how she takes it?" He hissed, giving an oblivious Juliet an appraising look.

"What can I say, I'm _that_ good a detective."

"Whatever, OK, fine." Miles huffed and stepped back, "But you're getting the coffee I made you ten minutes ago. Have to say though, much hotter in person," he nodded approvingly and stuck both thumbs up as he left.

"Jackass," James growled after him and shut the door once more. Of course he was being purely professional, wasn't he?


	4. Chapter 4

Well I'm back. Thought I'd try and get this out before the finale (sob!) tonight. I'm now done with the taught part of my masters and have relocated from the UK to Canada on placement. So, hopefully I'll have more time on my hands to update my stories. This one's quite short but at least I can promise it won't be another 3 months until the next one! Thanks to all who have stuck around and returned to read this after my protracted absences and of course thanks for all the wonderful reviews!

**Chapter 4**

He returned to his seat to find her looking decidedly morose as a finger toyed with the grain of the desk.

"Hey, don't worry, I promise I'll get to the bottom of all this. And if this jerk has anything to do with it," He picked up and waved the email about, "I'll nail his balls to the wall." She looked up and smiled faintly, but he could tell it was half-hearted.

"Sorry, I'm fine. Just having a bad day is all."

"How was the patient from earlier?" She sighed deeply and looked off at the mirrored wall. He had picked the worst question if he was trying to cheer her up. Concentrating on her dull reflection in the mirror, she forced herself to answer his perfectly innocent enquiry.

"I lost her."

"Ah shit. I'm sorry. Does it… does it happen often?" He asked tentatively. Juliet ventured to look back at him and was surprised by the tender expression on his face. Was it possible that all his smarm and arrogance was just bluster and show? It had been such a long day – such a long weekend – that she no longer had the energy to keep her defences up. She looked back down at the desk and answered as honestly as she could.

"From time to time. We play the odds. None of my patients are without complications; that's why they come to me in the first place. Doesn't make it any easier though." _And it doesn't stop them from expecting miracles from me_, she thought.

"No I guess not," he stated softly, and she was unsure what to say next when the cop from a few minutes ago barged in, neglecting to knock this time. Her mask returned; all traces of inner turmoil gone as she smiled and thanked him for her coffee.

"Miles Straum, ma'am. This douche's partner for my sins. If you need a real investigator on the case, I'd be glad to take over."

"Gee thanks Miles, but don't you got somewhere else to be?"

"Nope." Juliet couldn't help but smile as she caught the glare James directed at his partner. Miles stuck his hands in his pockets and smiled back at him, impervious.

"Didn't I hear Ana warn you not to be late for dinner at 7? Look at that, it's nearly 6.45…" Miles finally rolled his eyes and relented with a sigh.

"Fine. I suppose I do have a social life to be getting to, unlike _some_. Pleasure meeting you Dr Burke, Ford here's been telling me _all_ about you. Enjoy the coffee." Juliet startled and looked back at James in surprise. Was that the hint of a blush? She missed Miles' smug grin as he closed the door on his way out.

"Ignore him," James grumbled, flipping open his file. "He was dropped on his head as a kid. Anyway, these DNA results." Juliet took a sip of her coffee as he looked over the results. She had to admit she was impressed that he remembered how she took it.

"Unfortunately they don't show anybody but you, your assistant Jayne and student..." He had to look down to check the name, "Sophie. But something interesting did come up. Sophie's DNA was all over the laptop, indicating that she'd used it. Only she didn't mention it at all in her statement. Is it normal for her to use it?"

"No!" Juliet sat up in alarm. "Nobody uses it but me, it's password protected. She has no need to be on it."

"Well, I'll definitely be talking to her again then." Turning to the second envelope Miles just handed him, he took out the tech report. "Miles just got the report back on what had been accessed on the laptop. It says… yes, one particular file was opened and copied onto a memory stick. This one here, mean anything?" He swivelled the report around so she could read it and pointed out the relevant section.

She read the filename, lifted her hand to cover her mouth and breathed a large sigh of relief as she continued reading the report in silence.

"Juliet?" She looked up to see worried confusion written on his face. It was getting harder to deny he really seemed to care, she realised. Especially since this case_ was_ probably beneath him. She had to credit he was putting the hours in.

"It's fine. This file is worthless. It's just something I've been working on myself for the past few months, but it wasn't working so I abandoned it a couple of days ago. I've been meaning to move it to a back-up just in case I want to go back to it in the future. I hadn't told anyone else about it and I guess if someone's looking to steal my work in a hurry, it would seem like a logical thing to take on the face of it. But they won't be making any money off it, I can assure you."

"Well that's great news! You sure your work is safe though?" She nodded confidently at him.

"If this was all that was accessed – and according to your report it was, then yes."

"Well," he reached over and took the report back, placing it into his file, "be that as it may, a crime has still been committed and I sure as hell intend to get to the bottom of it." He lifted his mug and downed the rest of his barely warm coffee with a grimace, then stood, collecting his file.

"Well, ma'am," he drawled with a grin back down at her, before to her confusion affecting an annoyed posture, whacking the desk with his file. "Sorry to say I ain't got nothin' to charge you with. You're free to go." He flung his arm out towards the door. "Just don't be thinkin' about leaving town… I got my eye on you." She rolled her eyes and reluctantly stood as he looked ridiculously pleased with himself at his joke. Not quite sure, what possessed her, she boldly countered back:

"Admit it, you just want me handcuffed and under your mercy, officer." His eyes widened in surprise at her riposte, but he quickly recovered to smirk down at her as he ushered her back into the now nearly deserted bullpen.

"Lady, ten minutes stuck with you and I'd be forced to use my weapon." It was her turn to smirk as she cottoned on to his double entendre. She raised an eyebrow in silent challenge as she stopped to look up at him, the faint blush and slight look of panic in his eyes telling her it had been inadvertently uttered.

"My firearm that is." He pulled his gun out of its holster and waved it slightly in illustration before returning it. "Better get that world-class mind out of the gutter doc, before it gets you in trouble."

"What, like your wiseass mouth seems to be doing right now?" She replied archly and he shook his head, refusing to rise to the bait this time.

"Anyway… thanks for stopping by with that, uh, information on your ex. It could be really helpful. I'll show you out." He turned and started heading towards the door, whilst she remained rooted to the spot. That email had shaken her more than she wanted to admit and she didn't really want to go home to an empty apartment. He must have sensed her reluctance as he quickly turned round and shot her a questioning look. Giving herself a mental shake, she sighed slightly and started walking after him.

"It's nothing, I'm just being stupid…" she summoned a wane smile but she could tell he wasn't fooled.

"No, what is it?"

"I just… don't really want to go home, that's all. It's nothing, seriously. I must be keeping you from leaving by now." She'd caught up to him by now, and resolutely strode past towards the door.

"What about your sister, can't you go stay with her?" She paused and looked back, shaking her head.

"No, she's gone out of town with Julian for a few days, visiting a cousin of ours. I'm fine." She chuckled mirthlessly and looked up at the ceiling. "God, this is exactly what he wanted, I'm playing right into his hands letting him rattle me like this. I'm afraid you've found me out detective - I'm just an insecure mess."

"Well he's an ass, don't give him the satisfaction. And for what it's worth, you're the most together mess I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. Prettiest too." A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she narrowed her eyes slightly at this, clueless as to whether to believe him or not. "Look, since we seem to be all about confessing, my partner wasn't lying about the lack of social life. You ain't holding me back; I was going to stick around for a while longer, go over those security tapes of yours. You can stay and help me if you like?" He looked around the room.

"It's only Harris over there left, and I guarantee he'll be asleep on his desk within 10 minutes. I'll even order pizza, whadaya say?" He raised his hands up in invitation and grinned, showing his dimples.

"Ok. But only because I take pity on Harris over there, stuck with just you for company."

"Of course," he drawled and showed her over towards his desk.


	5. Chapter 5

Twice in the one week - oh yes! Don't get too used to it though, it's only because teething problems at the lab have left me projectless as yet. That will all change and I'll soon be snowed under once more. Thanks as always for reading and those that take the time to review. It's appreciated muchly! Quick disclaimer: I know nothing about CCTV! Also a quick mention to the brilliant Emily Saliers of The Indigo Girls. I shamelessly poached a line of hers near the end.

**Chapter 5**

"So how much do you know about your cctv set up?" He asked once they were seated in front of James' computer.

"Uh, to be honest, not that much. Larry's always run such a tight ship up until now; I've never had to really think about it. He just get's on with it."

"Fair enough," he shrugged and turned his attention to the screen, pulling up the video file. "Well, I'd started going through it before you arrived. Seems you've got eight set ups, which from talking to your guy, they have control of viewing at the desk. The back-up recording, which is what we've got here, however is set to record on rotation to save space. It runs through with twenty seconds on each cam in a loop. There's one with a clear view of your lab door and corridor, another around the corner.

"So, let's see what we got here." Pressing play, he quickly sped to just before her student Sophie entered. He looked to Juliet for confirmation that she saw nothing out of the ordinary and on her nod, sped again through the next hour until Sophie left again. Adjusting the speed to a slower skip, they sat in silence and watched the cameras click through their cycle. Unfortunately, at the time they were after, 12.45, the focus was elsewhere and didn't return until 12.47. The blinds were now drawn and a shadow could be seen passing by inside the lab. Continuing to watch at normal speed, James noticed the halls and offices were noticeably quieter than earlier in the morning.

"People usually start leaving from about this time," Juliet murmured, confirming his thoughts. Coming up on the time the swipe records showed the perpetrator leaving, the same thing happened as before and the recording focused on other cameras.

"Well that woulda been too damn easy. Guess that's that." James grumbled as he moved to stop the video.

"Wait!" Juliet quickly reached out to stop him, unthinkingly placing a hand on top of his over the mouse. James quickly looked down at the source of soft warmth on his knuckles as his breath caught slightly. He quickly looked up at her face, but she was intently looking at the screen, neither noticing his reaction nor the fact that she hadn't removed her hand.

"Play that last bit again, rewind to about 53." She removed her hand once more and cold air swirled around his to fill the vacuum she had left as she pulled back.

"What ya see?" he enquired as he obliged and rewound the feed.

"I'm not sure but…" she trailed off distractedly and started nodding her head as if counting. "Look! The sequence has changed! Say this camera on the door is one and around the corner two in the order, right before 12.55 it changes from eight back to three, completely skipping those two out!" He snapped his eyes away from her and back to the screen, rewinding once more to check himself what she was saying. Sure enough it had been altered.

"Sonofabitch. That would have to be manually overridden at the time. Would give them a couple more minutes unrecorded. That means we've got at least two people involved here and one of them must be security. They'd have to know how to alter the feed, plus know that not everything from these cameras is recorded." Rewinding further, he returned to the time of entry and sure enough the cameras skipped their sequence.

"And be present at the desk to prevent anyone else spotting it on the live feed to the monitors." Juliet leaned her forehead heavily onto her hand as a thought occurred to her. "James, do you have a record there for who was on security at that time?" she asked, heart sinking as she already knew what the answer would be. He flipped open his folder and flicked to the relevant page.

"Says here shift had changed at 12.30. The guys leaving were your man Larry and a Christopher Cunningham, and the two on were Paul McCrae and Dale Henderson." He looked up and into her troubled gaze. "How well do you know these guys?" She sighed deeply before answering in an even voice.

"Dale has only been here a few months. Rumour has it he's recently started dating Sophie." One corner of her mouth quirked up slightly in a resigned grimace and he nodded sympathetically. "What time did Sophie leave the building?" He looked down once more, looking for the relevant information.

"1.05…Sorry to say, but it looks like we have ourselves a strong lead." She closed her eyes and bowed her head in defeat, visibly upset at the apparent betrayal of someone she trusted. He placed his hand over hers resting on his desk in a gesture of comfort, squeezing slightly. Her eyes snapped back open on the contact to regard him with her startlingly blue eyes.

"Why?" She whispered hoarsely, "What reason could she possibly have to do this? She's been interning here since the beginning." He had no answer to give her, and was about to open his mouth to offer some weak platitude, when his phone rang, startling them both and causing him to snatch his hand back as if burned. Chuckling at the timing, he reached over and quickly lifted the receiver.

"Ford." He barked and listened for a second. "Thanks. Be right out." He replaced the phone and smiled over apologetically. "Pizza's here. Look, they ain't goin' anywhere and they don't even have nothin' at the end of the day. This can keep 'til the mornin'. There's a break room down the hall, with couches and a tv. What say we call it a night and go eat?" She tilted her head to the side slightly and smiled softly, weighing up his offer. "I'll even see if there's a Miami Heat game on?"

"Alright," she agreed, her smile widening, but her gaze remained quizzical. She silently watched him as they stood and he collected his file together and switched off his computer. She was definitely finding it harder to recall just what she'd found so irritating about him a mere three nights ago. He looked up to catch her watching him and flashed her a sincere smile before leading her through the room once more.

"Shouldn't you maybe wake him up?" she asked as they passed the now snoring Harris. James barely spared him a glance as he considered her question.

"Nah. He won't thank me for it. Sleeping dogs an' all that."

"Is there nobody else working at this time, don't you do shifts?"

"There's a couple guys out working a case at the moment. Three more on call if needed. Don't worry ma'am, the city's safe… or as safe as LA can be." Before she could reply he ushered her into a hallway, pointing out the way. "It's just down there through that door to your right. I'll go get the pizza."

#####

"Ya know, this is gettin' to be a bit of a habit," James remarked as he held the front door to the precinct open for her an hour or so later.

"I'm sorry, what?" Juliet replied, somewhat distracted. She had been lost in thought, reflecting on how their conversation over dinner had been quite pleasant, if inconsequential. Talking about nothing in particular whilst they flicked through the channels in vain before eventually settling on a college football game that neither really cared for, it seemed he had tried to keep the tone light and not one snarky comment had passed his lips. There were worse ways to spend an evening, she decided – it certainly beat listlessly flicking the channels alone at home. Looking over she realised he was waiting to regain her attention. "Sorry," she apologised once more, "Go on?"

"This, walking each other outta our work late at night," he looked at his watch, it read a little after nine. "Late-ish."

"If you call twice a habit," she replied lightly with an indulgent smile, scanning the parking lot for her car.

"Well it's not often I walk a lady anywhere, so yeah; I call it a habit!" He shrugged in his leather jacket slightly, pleased with himself.

"Doesn't _habit_ imply that it's a bad thing?" The smile turned into a smirk as she watched his indignant reaction, realising he was actually quite easy to tease.

"Woman, right now I'm startin' to agree with ya!" He sighed, exasperated.

"I've gone from lady to woman in the space of five seconds. Charming!"

"That's exactly what it's a reflection of…. where are you parked?" he asked, refusing to let her bait him anymore, though secretly he thought their easy banter was just that – charming. She pointed it out in the far side of the lot and by unspoken agreement he walked her over. It seemed the more time he spent with her, the more defences on each side seemed to be dissipating. He struggled to recall a time he'd found it this easy to talk to a woman. Chatting them up, talking them into bed; that's never something he'd had a problem with, but this seamlessly switching from serious, to sympathetic, to small-talk with ease – or even walking in companionable silence like that moment – was something of a new experience for him. He was a bit disconcerted as to what it meant if he was being honest. Yet at the same time, he couldn't get enough.

"Well thank you for walking me to my car, James." She stated sincerely as she beeped the alarm and opened the door, turning to lean into it as she looked up at him, sober once more. "And thank you for all the work you've put in on this break-in, I realise it's probably a bit trivial for you." He shoved his hands in his pockets, looked to his feet and shrugged once before looking back up at her, apologetically.

"I'm sorry to say I thought it was at first, but I stand corrected. Here to serve and protect ma'am, that's my job."

"Do people actually fall for that line?" she grinned and he shook his head slightly before grinning back.

"Apparently not. Goodnight, Juliet. I'll be round first thing with some uniformed officers. We'll need to take 'em in for questioning." Her smile dimmed and her blue eyes clouded over in thought. He waited patiently as she processed whatever it was she was about to ask him.

"Pressing charges… is it still up to me or is it out of my hands by this stage?" He looked slightly surprised at this.

"Depends. You'd seriously think about letting 'em off with it?" She shrugged.

"As you say, it depends. We don't know all the facts yet. Maybe there's an explanation." He couldn't understand it, but her compassion didn't really surprise him somehow, now that he considered it.

"How about we cross that bridge when we come to it?"

"Ok." She nodded tiredly. She climbed into her car and looked back up at him before closing the door. "Goodnight James." He saluted her mutely as she started the car and pulled out. Once more he stood there in the dark and watched her taillights blaze into nothingness.

Not since he was a kid had he particularly cared for his name as he did at that moment. Smiling to himself, he turned and sought his own car in the night.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the confusion guys, but I've just resubmitted the last two chapters as Eyeon astutely pointed out that I'd slipped into calling him Sawyer. Rest assured, it has nothing to do with his memories restoring, but merely mine failing me! All changed to James, nothing else has been altered. Damn him for having so many names!

Well I had every intention of working on my thesis today, but it seems that this chapter had other ideas. It flowed much easier than a history of DNA quantification methods so I gave in and obeyed my fingers. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews so far. As an Irish friend of mine would say, they truly are delightful. Not much plot progression in this one, I'm afraid, but I have to say I quite like it. Hope you all do too!

**Chapter 6**

After a whole night spent tossing and turning, Juliet gave up as the neon lights of her alarm hit 6am. She wearily hauled her body out of bed and stretched, the joints of her shoulder popping in protest. Grabbing a nearby robe, she wrapped it around herself and approached the window, sliding open the French door and slipping out into the watery rays of the breaking sun. There was still a chill in the air and she hugged her arms around herself as she closed her eyes and deeply breathed in the salty ocean breeze. Calmed slightly, she opened her eyes once more and gazed down at the beach below.

A couple of early joggers could be seen and she leant onto the balcony to idly watch them for a few minutes. Normally an early morning rise such as this would tempt her to join them, but today she just didn't have the heart. It was likely to be a long day, yet again, and she thought it best to conserve what little energy she had. Her thoughts were interrupted as a figure in the distance caught her attention. The set of the shoulders, build and dirty blonde hair of a runner rapidly approaching her section of beachfront all seemed strikingly familiar… was it him? She found her heart rate involuntarily sped up and the blood thundered in her ears as she debated shouting down to gain his attention. Just as she found her resolve, however, the face came into focus and she realised she had been mistaken. The stranger carried on past oblivious, as she dropped her face into her palm and shook her head in dismay.

_Get a grip, Jules,_ she chided. _Definitely best not to even go there._ The stress of the past few days was merely screwing with her emotions, nothing more. With one last longing look at the ocean, she slipped back inside and headed for the shower.

The warmth of the water did little to invigorate her – if anything it made her long to crawl back into bed and just ignore the world for a while. She knew, however, that any sleep she might be able to achieve would be far from restful and that she absolutely _had _to be at the office in a few short hours. Sighing, she rinsed her hair one final time and shut off the water. Stepping out, she wrapped her hair in a towel and donned a towelling bath-robe before moving down to the kitchen for a much needed cup of coffee.

On shuffling around the counter to reach for a mug, she hissed in pain as her bare foot trod on a sharp object on the floor. Hopping back clutching her foot, she looked down to inspect the offending item. Rolling her eyes, she reached down to pick up a small lego man, dressed as a pirate; complete with eye-patch and cutlass. Hurricane Julian had obviously breezed through before they left the previous day. Chuckling slightly, she placed the toy on the countertop and continued with her morning routine.

Thirty minutes later she was ready to go and swept back through the kitchen, picking up a thermos mug of coffee for the road and Julian's lego. Checking that her front door was still locked up, she turned and headed through an adjoining door to Rachel and Julian's part of the house. On moving here over a year ago, they had decided that rather than finding two separate places or living together in each other's pockets, they would buy one large house and divide it. That way they could still be close by, yet maintain some level of privacy. As much as she loved her sister, without having their own space, it wasn't long before they were at each other's throats. This had been the perfect solution and she could still see and play with her nephew every day. It may not have made the most financial sense when the time came to sell, but it had suited them perfectly.

Juliet made a quick survey of their home to make sure everything was fine whilst Rachel had been gone, deposited the lego with the rest of his pirate friends and headed out to face the day.

#####

"Morning Larry," Juliet softly greeted her head of security as she entered the building. He looked up from his work in surprise as she approached his station.

"Dr Burke? It's not even 8am yet!"

"Crazy week, crazy hours I guess. Can I see you in my office? Say five minutes?" She smiled again, hoping to convey that he wasn't in any trouble. She knew he had been blaming himself for the break-in and had been putting in even more hours than she had in the aftermath. For a start he never addressed her so formally. He nodded seriously in reply.

"I'll be right there." She left him and headed back to her office. She'd barely shrugged her jacket off and fired up her laptop when he appeared, apprehensively knocking on her open door.

"Dr B?"

"Relax Larry everything's fine. Close the door." He silently complied and Juliet watched as he sat down expectantly in the chair opposite her. In his early 60s and nearing retirement, Juliet knew he hoped this would be his last job until then. Juliet was the first to admit she knew next to nothing about security and thanks to this man she hadn't needed to. He'd been a godsend since starting up this company and her faith in him hadn't been shaken in light of past events.

"Please stop beating yourself up about all this, Larry. The cops think this was an inside job and there was nothing you could have done differently to prevent it. If anything it would be my fault for hiring them." He opened his mouth to protest, but she quickly held her hand up to silence him and continued, "I called you in to give you a heads up. Detective Ford has informed me they've got two suspects they want to bring in for questioning. It's Sophie and Dale," She finished sadly.

"Sophie?" He sat up in shock. "And Dale… he seemed like such a great kid. Never had any trouble with him and good at his job. But little Sophie? She practically worships you! What on earth could have gotten into them?"

"I wish I knew, Larry, believe me I don't get it either. But James is convinced the evidence is pointing that way."

"James?" he echoed in confusion.

"Detective Ford." She clarified, cursing her slip. Larry would be sure to pick up on it, and sure enough a sly smile slowly spread over the face of the man who she'd come to view as a surrogate father figure these past eighteen months.

"Ah… I think the good detective is sweet on you, Jules." He proclaimed, somewhat protectively. Whilst she was glad his natural good humour was starting to return, she just wished it wasn't at her expense.

"Nonsense," she retorted, busying herself with needlessly tidying a pile of papers on her desk.

"He was asking far more personal questions than I thought appropriate the other day. Mark my words, he was fishin'!" He observed the faint blush that spread over her cheeks at this as she refused to meet his gaze. He cared a lot about the quiet and serious blonde in front of him, boss or not. He knew that while she appeared tough and presented a calm and serene appearance to the world at large, she had been deeply damaged by her past – mainly at the hands of her sorry excuse for a husband – and that she was lonely; a brilliant mind surrounded by people that adored, yet didn't quite understand her.

So she hid behind her work, her sister and her nephew and while her business thrived, her social life was practically non-existent. He had to admit that it was his wife that had picked up on all of this first and she had quickly doted on Juliet and her sister as the girls they'd never had. It hadn't been long until he had fallen under her unassuming spell too and stopped regarding her as merely his boss. He was fiercely protective of her.

"He'll be trouble, Jules, I've seen his sort before. You deserve nothin' less than a prince."

"Enough Larry!" She exclaimed in exasperation at where this conversation had headed. "I'm not some tragic heroine in a fairytale!" She saw the glint in his eye and quickly continued to cut him off, "Despite what my name might be." He laughed at this and slowly rose to his feet.

"He sure ain't no Romeo, that's for sure." Juliet glared at this, choosing to ignore him.

"Well, he'll be here just after 9am with some officers to bring them in. Please extend him every courtesy and keep this to yourself." She turned to her laptop in dismissal, logging on to the system.

"You got it. And if that little runt Dale does have anything to do with this I'll…"

"You'll let the police deal with it old man," she interjected, her voice belying a hint of warning. She looked back up at him, now standing and her face softened once more, her blue eyes pleading. "Please," she continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's not worth it." His own features softened in response and his shoulders slumped slightly, knowing she was right. He nodded silently and left.

#####

9.05 am found her pacing behind Larry at the concierge desk. What the hell was taking them so long? This last hour had been the slowest of her life as she struggled to concentrate and get any work done. She'd been out there for nearly ten minutes now, with no sign of the cops arriving. Larry had informed her that both Sophie and Dale had arrived, together. Dale wasn't due to start until 9.30 and a quick walk past the break room had confirmed he was in there. It had taken all of her resolve not to confront them herself. So instead she was back here waiting impatiently and from the sound of his 'tutting' annoying Larry.

He was late. She stopped to place her hands on her hips and sighed. She knew she shouldn't have trusted him, that he'd only let her down. Just as she conjured up an image of his smirking face for her to mentally slap, the front door opened and he sauntered in, Miles and half a dozen uniformed officers hot on his heels.

"What time do you call this?" she snapped as she strode out behind the desk to meet him, a move which Larry watched with interest.

"LA traffic, what can ya do?" He replied, a little thrown by her anger. He'd said after nine and it was just that.

"You're cops aren't you? Don't you have flashing lights and sirens?" her words having slightly less bark to them. She sighed, realising she was being a bit ridiculous, but hell if she was going to back down completely now.

"Well ma'am, that would be unethical if it wasn't an emergency – and this is technically a scheduled appointment. You're out here to greet me and everythin'." He smiled genuinely, figuring her ire was merely her apprehension showing and she just needed reassurance. He dropped his voice so only she could hear and stepped a little closer, grasping her forearm lightly in a gesture of comfort. "Relax Blondie, I got this all under control," he stated confidently. She looked up to searchingly meet his gaze, which he met, unflinching and calm. Finding what she was looking for, she nodded once in acquiescence and silently took a step back, maintaining eye contact.

Behind them and unnoticed by either, Miles rolled his eyes and shifted impatiently. "Let's get this show on the road, huh?" he called over, breaking the moment. Juliet looked down at her hands and Sawyer sighed.

"Where are they?" he asked, looking from her to Larry who had moved to stand behind her. He was unprepared for the steely glare the older man returned at him, arms folded in defiance. Confused he looked back to Juliet for answers. She caught the exchange and shook her head slightly at Larry in chastisement before answering.

"She's at her desk and he's in the break room we were in Saturday."

"Good. Ok, Enos, you go get the girl, I'll take him. Mr Hall," he addressed Larry once more, "Do you mind accompanying me? Not sure how this will go down, and he might react better with you there." The older man shrugged and silently turned to follow. Juliet turned to follow Miles and three of the cops when she felt a hand on her arm restraining her.

"I don't think that's a good idea Juliet," James implored, dropping his hand once more. "It's best if you don't get involved and stay out here."

"But I am involved!" she cried, throwing a look back at the rapidly retreating group of officers heading to apprehend Sophie. "This is still my company!" she continued, her anger returning.

"And it's my job to protect it – and you. We don't know how she'll react and I don't want you getting hurt."

"I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself," she retorted with a slight huff and flail of her arms, not realising the picture she made was causing James to struggle to remain serious.

"Don't doubt if for a second Blondie, but humour me. Please? I gotta get going or Butch Cassidy will catch wind and scarper." She rolled her eyes and nodded and he quickly gathered his men and Larry, heading down the corridor.

"Spirited, ain't she," he tossed to Larry conversationally once they were out of earshot. The older man snorted.

"And way outta your league, Cowboy," came his withering reply, refusing to pay the younger so much as a glance. James stopped dead in his tracks, bewildered as to where the sudden animosity had come from.

"Okaaaay," he drawled at the retreating back of the burly security guard. Grandad was lucky he had to let that one slide for now, but he was sure as hell going to get to the bottom of that. With a mental shake he quickly picked up the pace once more. _I'll show him cowboy…_

#####

For what felt like an eternity, Juliet cooled her heels at the concierge desk, unsure what to do with herself. She chose to ignore the questioning and fearful glances people gave as they passed. Let them worry, she thought in uncharacteristic spite. The rumour mill would fill them all in soon enough. As she looked at her watch for the fifth time in as many minutes, Miles came striding into view, followed closely behind by Sophie, two officers flanking each side and clutching her arms. Her bowed head spoke volumes and Juliet's heart sank. Despite everything, she had been still hoping they were wrong.

As they approached, the student's head snapped up and she noticed Juliet standing there. Tears started streaming down her face, her next words to Juliet the nail in the coffin.

"I'm so sorry, Dr Burke. Please forgive me. I'm so sorry."

Juliet steeled herself, forcing her features to remain stoic. She didn't trust herself to speak without breaking down too and so looked on at the trembling girl in silence. After a second one of the officers roughly pulled her away and Miles led them out into the waiting car.

A crowd had begun to form, drawn out of their offices and labs in fascination as a murmur arose from the other direction and James emerged into the foyer, followed by a smirking and seemingly unrepentant Dale. The officers silently took him straight outside whilst James caught her eye and smiled reassuringly. He seemed to be doing that a lot this morning, she thought as he made his way over to her, a grim Larry not far behind.

"Do you need me to come down to the station?" She asked hesitantly, not sure if she was really up to it.

"Nah, I got it from here. I'll call you as soon as I have any news. I'll get to the bottom of this, Blondie. I promise." He gave her a quick grin and mock salute and she smiled despite her bleak mood. With a nod he turned to go, but her voice stopped him.

"James?" He turned around and raised his eyebrows in question. "Sophie looked like she'll easily confess. She apologised to me on the way out."

"Duly noted, thanks doc." He turned once more and headed out through the throng of people, some of the females assembled trying unsuccessfully to catch his eye. She watched with some amusement until Larry's voice rumbled low behind her.

"Well ain't he the swaggering sheriff." He drawled, derisively.

"Not now Larry," she muttered and turning quickly on her heel, fled to the sanctuary of her lab.


	7. Chapter 7

I'll spare you all from my blethering for once as I have nothing much to add other than a million thank yous for all the continued support and awesome reviews. Enjoy.

**Chapter 7**

James reached the open office door and stood in silence for a moment, unnoticed by its occupant. Juliet sat with her feet propped up on her desk, papers strewn about her. Her hair had been pulled up into a haphazard bun and a cute pair of glasses perched on her nose as she chewed a highlighter pen, looking perplexed as she shuffled through a sheaf of papers sitting in her lap. He crossed his arms and leant against the doorframe, smiling as she let out a small _huh?_ sound and held a sheet up to re-read the back of it. Whilst he felt he could watch her like this all night, unfortunately there was a purpose to this visit.

"Knock, knock," he rapped his knuckles lightly on the glass. Startled she quickly sat up and looked over in confusion at his interruption. "Hey sorry," he quickly put his hands up in a pacifying gesture. "If you're busy, I can come back…"

"No!" She set the papers down on the desk and removed her glasses with a warm smile. "Please, come in." Jumping up, she reached over and removed a stack of files from a chair and gestured for him to sit. "I'm just trying to make sense out of an apparently senseless journal article. Sorry for the mess. I've not had the most productive of days." He returned her smile as he shrugged off his jacket and took the offered seat.

"Well it's a good thing I have, Blondie." She glanced down at her watch, surprised at how late it was.

"How did you know I'd still be here?"

"Cos I've pegged ya for a workaholic." He grinned charmingly as her eyes flared with a spark of irritation and quickly carried on to prevent her retort, "Nah, I'm kidding. I called ahead to check."

"Good, because I was about to resort to cliché and mention pots and kettles, Detective." He ducked his head in acknowledgement – after all he was technically here on business.

"Touché, Doc."

"So?" She took a deep breath, not sure if she really wanted to hear what he had to tell her.

"Well he ain't talkin', not a word. Even with Miles yammerin' in his ear all day – I woulda cracked by now." He held his index finger up in the air in illustration, "my first suspicion. The girl on the other hand, I had the pleasure of interviewing first. She practically fell over herself to tell all. Says she did it for him, that he was in trouble and had pressured her into helping him. Told her he'd had a problem with drugs and gotten into a load of debt with some dodgy dealers. She'd mentioned to him that you seem to also do your own experiments outside your official research and he came to her saying he'd found a buyer for the data, that the money would clear his debts and they'd be safe. Told her that all she had to do was copy one file and that he'd sort out all the security, she just had to go in and make that mess to cover her tracks."

"But why trash the place, surely it would have been better for them if I never realised anything was taken?" He sighed.

"That's the second thing that ain't adding up." Juliet tapped her fingers against her lips thouhtfully for a second and looked out at the dark night that had descended.

"Did she say who the buyer was? Do you believe her?"

"She said he never told her and I do. I think she's no more than a foolish girl who fell in love and was duped into breaking the law and betraying your trust to help her boyfriend."

"Duped?"

"I sat in on his interview for a while. I've seen my fair share of drug addicts and this guy ain't one. No way. There's definitely more to it. This is calculated and what's more I think he wanted you to know your work had been taken from you. I think…" he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, bowing his head to rake a hand through his hair before continuing, "I think someone out there wants your work desperately enough to set all this up. The timing's all too convenient. Did you have anything to do with his hiring?" She slumped back in her chair and pondered what he'd just told her.

"No. It was all Larry. You think he's been planning this all along?" She asked; a touch of incredulity in her voice. He nodded, reluctantly.

"Yeah. Nothin' to go on yet, but I do. But as far as the courts are concerned, what we have is good enough. She's signed a confession, the circumstantial evidence all adds up against him. They'll be prosecuted, she's helped herself a great deal in terms of sentencing."

"You knew all along they'd be charged didn't you? When I asked you if it was my choice?" He nodded once more.

"I'm sorry. It's her first offence, she'll be OK."

"No she won't," Juliet sadly shook her head, "Her career is over after this. Such a waste."

"I'm not letting this drop, I'll look into him more and get to the bottom of this. I promise ya, Blondie." She smiled for the first time since he started recounting the day's events.

"You don't have to, James. You've done your job and I appreciate it."

"Case ain't closed as far as I'm concerned. If someone put him up to this, I'll find out and bring 'em to justice."

"I can't talk you down can I? At the end of they day they have nothing." She noted with a bitter smirk.

"Nope." He grinned and stood up, nothing more to report that night. She shook her head in resignation and stood also.

"Well promise me that you're done for the night, your shift must be over by now. Go home, relax - get some sleep. Doctor's orders." He grinned despite having to admit that he was exhausted after a long day.

"You're a baby doc – and last time I checked I'm a long time outta diapers."

"Doesn't mean I can't see that you're tired and need a break. It's not a matter of life or death now is it?"

"Well what about you? You gonna follow your own prescription or burn the midnight oil here?" He spread his arm over the mess on her desk. She held his gaze steadily and looked like she was going to protest for a moment, before relenting with a roll of her eyes.

"No, I guess I'm done." She sighed and collected some of the papers and stuffed them into her briefcase. He watched with a slightly smug sense of satisfaction that she had listened to him and shrugged on his jacket before collecting hers from the stand by the door and helping her into it, resisting the urge to brush some stray strands of hair off her neck. She raised her brow at this gentlemanly act, but remained silent.

"Good. I'll walk ya out. Been a while since we've done that." He grinned and she giggled with a shake of her head and he thought it was the sweetest sound he'd heard all day. _Man, this was getting dangerous._

#####

The sun had long since started its descent in the sky by the time Juliet managed to leave the hospital the next day. A quick consult at 10am had turned into an emergency surgery on a trauma that had come in. She checked her watch as she hurried towards her car, squinting in the low angled sun. Great, it was after 6pm and she still had things in the office that she had wanted to get done that day. But Rachel and Julian were home soon and she had promised she'd be home in time to join them for dinner.

Reaching her car, she slid into the driver's seat and tossed her bag on the passenger side when her phone rang. Sighing, she retrieved it and glanced at the number, not recognising it. She briefly considered ignoring it, but curiosity got the better of her.

"Hello?"

"Whatsup Doc?" A distinctively Southern voice boomed down the line and she couldn't help the grin that split her face.

"James. How did you get this number?"

"Do I question your ability to save lives, Sunshine?" He scoffed.

"I guess not, no. But now I'm slightly worried that you'd make an awesome stalker if you ever considered a career change." She was rewarded with a loud guffaw from the other end.

"Listen, I'm callin' cos I got some news. It ain't great. Are ya sittin' down?"

"Sounds ominous," she commented warily. "I'm in my car."

"You ain't drivin' are ya?"

"No, I just got in. Spit it out, James." She heard him take a bracing intake of breath.

"Ok. I wanted to tell you this face-to-face, but we've been called out on a bust that's been a long time comin'."

"You really use terms like that? That's a bit disappointing actually. Are you on the _bust_ right now? Should you be calling me?" She interrupted, aware that she was stalling from hearing what sounded like bad news.

"Whatever. We're still a 10 minute drive away so I got time. Miles thanks you since he get's to drive for once."

"You never learned to share, Detective?"

"It's his own damn fault for forgetting we ain't in Miami Vice. Hey watch it Wheelnut, eyes on the road! Sorry, where were we?"

"I was trying to distract you from whatever you had to tell me."

"Good job, I'm impressed. Anyway I got some news on our wannabe junkie. Don't know how to tell you this, but he spent a year in Miami before rockin' up in LA five months ago. He was a security guard at your old work. Now I know it's a big place, being a college and all and I don't have nothin' concrete yet to link them together, but I think your ex is behind all this. From what I hear, he's been goin' through a bit of a professional slump since you left. I've also gained access to dipshit Dale's bank records and since he left there've been monthly large deposits of cash that can't be accounted for. Definitely wouldn't be hard pressed to pay up to any pill pusher."

Juliet leaned back heavily in her seat as she absorbed this not completely unexpected news. While it was still a shock to hear spoken aloud, it really wasn't something she'd put past Edmund was it? But the sheer magnitude and lengths he'd apparently gone to still floored her.

"Juliet?" James' worried voice shook her out of her thoughts and she realised she hadn't acknowledged what he had said.

"Sorry, it's just… are you sure?" she whispered.

"Frankly, no I'm not. I have nothin' concrete so far, it's more of a hunch. But I'm convinced I'm right. Especially with that email he sent you. I'll prove it somehow."

"Ok," she answered in a shaky voice, not really sure what else to say.

"I called Miami PD and had some officers show up at the college to ask him some questions, but get this, he's been unreachable on vacation for over a week. However, luck would have it he's actually due in LA for a business meeting on Saturday. I'm going to bring him in myself then for a cosy chat."

"Ok."

"Juliet, are you alright? As I said, I'm sorry this had to be on the phone, only I ain't sure how long this will take and I wanted you to know."

"I'm fine, thanks. It's just a bit of a shock, the thought that he'd resort to all this."

"He won't get away with it, I promise. Look, I gotta go. You have my cell number now if you need anything – just call. Though maybe wait a few hours." She chucked softly at this and the thought of him on a bust.

"Thanks again. Be careful." She knew it was irrational to worry about someone that not only did she dislike just a few short days ago, was obviously good at their job and knew what they were doing, but she found she couldn't help it.

"I'm Teflon Man, Blondie. Though haveta say the thought of you frettin' over me is a bit of a turn on."

"_Hang up the goddamn phone, Romeo, we're up!"_ she heard who she assumed was Miles bitching in the background.

"Gotta go beat the crap outta my partner. Later."

"Bye James. Careful that ego of yours doesn't get in the way when busting down doors." She could hear him laughing as she hung up the phone and tossed it back into her bag. She leaned her forehead onto her steering wheel and took a deep breath to compose herself.

That bastard.

Work can wait, she thought as she started the engine and pulled out of the parking space. She'd surprise her sister and nephew by getting home early for once.


	8. Chapter 8

A bit of a short one this to keep it all going. Although the good news is I have the rest figured out, sort of. Who knows how many chapters it will take to get me there though. Love that people seem to be sticking around for the ride and love all the amazing reviews!

**Chapter 8**

Juliet entered her house to find the television on, showing some unidentifiable cartoon. Slightly on edge, she cautiously approached from behind only to feel stupid when she spied Julian's blonde locks. She let out a nervous chuckle which drew the youngster's attention from the screen. He quickly swivelled his head to look behind and his face lit up as he jumped up to launch himself at her, throwing his arms around her neck.

"Aunt Juliet!"

She barely had time to let go of her briefcase and catch him, laughing as she dropped kisses on the crown of his head.

"Hey, baby. What a welcome! Does your mom know you're through here, Scamp?" He leaned back in her arms to regard her seriously and nodded.

"She said I could wait for you and watch cartoons."

"Did you have a good time with your cousins?" She set him back down on the floor and led him through to find her sister.

"Johnny pushed me into the pool, but Cole let me play with his trucks."

"Mixed reception then," she commented as they entered her sister's kitchen. Rachel looked up from straining rice and smiled in greeting on their entrance.

"I'm guessing you left out the part where you and Cole had pelted your big cousin with water balloons as he slept on a lounger." Juliet shot her nephew a look of surprise, which he ignored in favour of his ever present lego strewn about under the kitchen table. She laughed and smiled at Rachel once more as she slid onto a stool at the breakfast bar.

"Must have slipped his mind. How was the trip?"

"Good. Donna still puts away as much wine as we did in our early twenties. Only now we have to wait until the kids are in bed! It's nice being much closer to them since coming here. She told me to tell you that she's given up on getting you to visit and will have to haul them all here in a month or two, no excuses."

"I better call her before she strikes me off the Christmas card list. I really mean to, but what with work being so busy…" Rachel rolled her eyes and tossed her sister a stern glance as she set plates on the counter.

"It takes five minutes to pick up the phone, Jules. We don't have that much family left these days…"

"I know, I will soon. I promise," Juliet replied guiltily, looking away to watch Julian play.

"But hey, since you're on time for dinner for once, let's eat!" Rachel grinned to show the lecture was over for now and indicated for Juliet to carry a bowl and some glasses over to the table as she did likewise with the rest of the food. "Julian, get up from under there, dinner's ready."

"And here I thought I was being early!" Juliet exclaimed indignantly as she followed and set about pouring them both some wine.

"So," Rachel started once they had settled down to eat, "Tell me all, I know you've been holding out on me over the phone. You realise I just worry more when you do that right?" Juliet looked down at her plate then back up to meet the admonishing look on her sister's face.

"I'm sorry. It's just been tough… and a bit of an eye opener, I guess. Where to start?" She paused to take a sip of wine and a deep breath. "Sophie has confessed and co-operated, but Dale won't talk. The police are convinced that Ed is behind it all and has been paying him all this time to steal my work. He came here from Miami, worked at the University." The shock of this news actually rendered Rachel speechless for a moment – a rare occurrence.

"I can't believe it. That…" she remembered Julian's presence and looked over at him. However he was paying no attention to their conversation, or his food for that matter, his lego toys being much more interesting. She returned her gaze to Juliet and shrugged helplessly, "I'm sure you can imagine the profanities I'd like to attribute to him right now." Juliet nodded in understanding.

"He's actually due in LA for a meeting on Saturday. The cops are going to talk to them then, but I don't think they have any concrete evidence against him yet." She continued softly.

"He'll get what's coming to him, Jules. He has to." She reached over and laid a hand over Juliet's, squeezing tightly.

"I hate that I'm still scared of him; that even after all this time he still has that power – and look at the lengths he's willing to go to. He's never going to give up on using me to keep his career afloat."

"But he didn't get anything, did he?" Juliet shook her head in confirmation.

"Not this time."

"The police will make sure that he can't pull a stunt like this again." At this, Juliet's thoughts automatically went to a certain detective and she smiled, despite the pain of the conversation.

"Yeah, they will I guess." Rachel caught the smile and strove to lighten the tone, curious as to what had suddenly caused it.

"So what of the boys in blue? Sounds like you've been awfully close to the investigation. Any hot cops keeping you appraised of the situation?" The faint blush that spread over Juliet's cheeks made Rachel visibly sit up in her chair after what was supposed to be a joke. "Oh my God!" She squealed, "There is isn't there? Spill baby sister, I can't believe you really have been holding out on me!"

"Mommy, can I be excused?" The excitement of his aunt being home had worn off and Julian was bored and fed up at being ignored. His mom, took a distracted look at his plate.

"Not until you've finished that broccoli young man." He humphed and reluctantly shovelled some of the offending green vegetable into his mouth. Rachel returned her attention to Juliet with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" she replied innocently. "Yes there is. He may be hot, but he's also arrogant, cocky and completely full of himself." While her voice was full of scorn, in her head a niggling thought was questioning if she still actually believed any of what she was saying aloud. After all, he _had_ also proven to be kind and considerate, with a single-minded determination to get to the bottom of his case.

"You just said three things that all mean the same thing," Rachel noted dryly, raising her wine glass to her face to cover her smirk. "Doth the lady protest too much? What's his name?" Juliet rolled her eyes, but knew there was no getting out of this conversation now.

"James," she sighed reluctantly, "James Ford. He's good at his job," She relented, "I'll give him that."

"Mo-ooom," Julian whined. "Now?" His plate was nearly empty.

"Ok, but no more TV. Bathtime in thirty minutes." As Rachel helped Julian down from his chair, Juliet rose to start clearing their plates, hoping that she'd drop it once distracted, but no such luck. Picking up her wineglass, Rachel stood and followed Juliet to the sink, leaning on the counter and smirking once more.

"You attracted to him?" she slyly asked with barely contained glee.

"No!" Juliet answered hastily, receiving an irritatingly knowing look in response. "Ok maybe… I don't know." She scraped the plates into the garbage, choosing her words carefully. "I'll admit he's been very attentive. But he's not my type at all, and I seriously doubt I'm his. And he _is_ a cocky bastard."

"Cocky's not necessarily a bad thing. Look where your type has gotten you in the past. We_ have _just been discussing your ex-husband conspiring to steal your research haven't we?" Juliet grimaced at this home truth and glared at her sister. Rachel merely laughed in response.

"That ice-queen routine might work elsewhere sis, but not in this house! I think you should go for it, what have you got to lose?"

"Uh, he says no?" Juliet snorted derisively.

"So what if he does? This is almost over, you'll never have to see him again! Think about it alright? She gave Juliet a quick sideways hug and left to go see what mischief her son was managing to get himself into. Deep in thought, Juliet returned to the table and quickly gulped down the rest of her wine.

#####

A couple hours later Juliet sat on her sofa, the room dark except from the soft glow of the television. Not paying any attention to what was on, instead she stared at the phone clutched in her hands, replaying Rachel's words from earlier.

_What did she have to lose?_

Something simple, she could keep it light. Invite him for lunch to thank him for all his efforts this past week. Actually, it hadn't even been a week, she realised; this was only Wednesday night. It had seemed like a lifetime. Yes, lunch would be good. Not as risky or obvious as drinks or dinner and she really wasn't sure what she wanted - lunch wouldn't be comitting hersef either way. It was after 10, surely he'd be able to talk by now.

Taking a deep breath, she raised the phone and dialled his number.

After two rings she lost her nerve and hung up once more. She threw down the phone on the coffee table, disgusted with herself for wimping out. She slumped back into the sofa and closed her eyes, running a hand through her hair. She felt like a damn teenager.

A few seconds later they snapped back open as the phone rang. Holding her breath, she snatched at it and looked at the display. Crap. No wimping out now. She resolutely hit answer and held it to her ear.

"James."

"No, that would be me. I was under the impression your name was Juliet?" The tension in his voice was evident, despite his teasing words. "You OK Blondie? You called and hung up. Nothin's happened has it?"

"No, I… I'd started to call, but realised how late it was and didn't want to disturb you. I was going to call back in the morning." She shook her head, annoyed at her feeble explanation.

"Nothin's wrong? You're sure?"

"I'm fine, honestly. How did the cracking of heads go?"

"Just swell. The streets of LA are now minus a major player in the cocaine market. We got lucky and picked up a few henchmen too. Not long through processing them all."

"Great," she answered weakly, at a loss for words.

"So what can I do for ya?"

"Well I was just wondering, when's your next day off? And before you ask, no, I'm not asking you out on a date." She rolled her eyes at how idiotic she sounded.

"Uh, alright," he replied, sounding slightly confused. "I was off Saturday, but swapped it so I could bring your man in for questioning, so now it's Friday."

"Well, then I'd like to ask you over for lunch on Friday. Just to say thank you for all you've done for me, for my company."

"You don't have to do that, I'm just doing my job."

"But I want to."

"In that case I'd love to take you up on your offer of a non-date. What time?"

"Uhm, 1pm?"

"Sounds good. See ya then Blondie. Sweet dreams."

"Night." She replied softly and hung up, looking at the phone in confusion. Did that really just happen?


	9. Chapter 9

Onwards and upwards, the end is starting to appear on the horizon. Thanks to each and every one of you reading for keeping me going. Also thanks to Northern Ontario for being so remote that I have plenty of time to devote to this.

I've borrowed and paraphrased a couple of lines towards the end of this chapter from one of my other favourite TV shows. It's a bit on the obscure side, so qudos to anyone that spots and can name it.

Oh, and to clear up any confusion I might have caused, this Donna that Rachel had been visiting is a cousin, not another sister. So Julian had been playing with his second-cousins.

**Chapter 9**

James pulled over and parked, double checking with his notepad that he had the right house.

Son-of-a-bitch. It was impressive.

Flipping down his mirror, he ran his hand through his hair in an attempt to smooth it down. Looking down at his shirt collar, he undid the top button, looked at it, redid it then undid it once more before slamming the mirror back up in frustration. Why the hell was he so damn nervous? It's not like this was a date or nothing, she'd made that abundantly clear. A thank-you, nothing more.

The thing is, he'd finally admitted to himself that he wanted it to be. But he was a fool if he thought he was even remotely in her league – just look at her house for crying out loud!

Well he'd just have to take what he could get. The case was almost over and he might never see her again after that. He grabbed the wine he'd brought and exited his car, took a deep breath and headed up the path to her door. He rang the bell and it seemed like an eternity before the door finally swung open to reveal a slightly flustered Juliet. Being used to seeing her in her professional attire, she looked stunning in a tight pair of dark jeans and a floaty blue top that matched her eyes. Her hair was down in soft waves and his mind went embarrassingly blank.

"You're early," she stated in surprise. She smiled and ushered him in and thankfully his voice returned.

"Remembered the hell you gave me for being late on Tuesday mornin'. Didn't want a repeat of that." He answered with a lopsided grin, taking in his surroundings as he followed her into her home.

"Sorry about that. Was I _that_ bad?" A faint blush suffused her cheeks and he couldn't resist teasing further.

"Nah, you were all bark. Here, I brought some wine" He nervously offered her the bottle. "I didn't know what to get, hope it's OK?" She took it and looked at the label.

"Merlot. Good choice." She responded with genuine approval and he nodded, ridiculously pleased with himself.

"Uh, nice place you've got here. I wouldn't know what to do with so much space." They had stopped in what appeared to be the living room. It was beautifully decorated and a gentle salt-tinged breeze wafted through a set of open French windows on the far wall.

"Me neither. It's partitioned: my sister and I have half each. It's taken a while to get it how we want it."

"Sorta roommates huh?"

"Something like that," she grinned. "Lunch isn't quite ready, through this way." She led him out through the doors and onto a large balcony that seemed to span the length of the house. A table had been set for two and right below was the beach with a stunning view of the ocean. He let out a whistle of appreciation.

"Damn, I'm in the wrong profession!" He walked up to the edge and leaned over to sweep his gaze down the beach.

"Oh I don't know. I'd say you are right where you're meant to be." He turned to find her leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and watching him intently. It was a look he couldn't quite interpret, but it was definitely turning him on. For the sake of his own sanity, he sure as hell hoped she was aware of and meant it, but if she didn't he had to lighten the moment in an act of self-preservation.

"Now, is that a compliment, or are you sayin' I'm not brainy enough to be a pioneering scientist?" She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully for a second before answering.

"You called me a scientist." She said softly, a hint of wonder in her voice. "Most people don't see past the stethoscope – or even know the difference."

"I'd say you were both. Yer forgettin' I've seen yer mad-scientist lab." She laughed and shook her head indulgently.

"Well anyway, it was a compliment. From my admittedly limited experience, I'd say you were a great detective." He grinned widely.

"Wonders will never cease!"

"Don't get used to it, a momentary lapse. Shall I open this now?" she indicated the wine bottle still in her hand, "Or I have some beer in the fridge?" He sighed with relief as he'd never been much of a wine drinker.

"Beer would be great, thanks."

"OK, I'll save this for lunch."

"Tryin' to get me drunk, Blondie?" She rolled her eyes and pushed off of the door once more.

"Take a seat, I'll be right back."

#####

"That was a great meal, thanks." James savoured the last mouthful before leaning back in his chair with a satisfied stretch.

"Thank you, but it's only pasta and salad – hardly Julia Childs." She smirked and raised her wineglass to her lips. Lips that he couldn't take his eyes off of. He was pretty sure now that she was flirting with him. Well, about 60% sure – she was so damn hard to read.

"Hey, anything that isn't out a can or take-out box is gourmet to me!" He grinned back then forced himself to take a swig of wine. "So tell me, where is this mysterious Dr Young that I don't hear nothin' about? Seems to me you're running the show." She seemed surprised at the turn of the conversation, but smiled to show that it wasn't unwelcome.

"For now, I guess I am. She's in Malawi with Doctors Without Borders. She's a paediatrician, an old friend from med school. She's been out here for years and is very well established. We'd talked about setting up on our own for years. I'd finally had enough with everything in Miami and seriously put it to her nearly two years ago now. She agreed, but kinda blackmailed me into letting her take off for a year once we were on our feet.

"You just missed her by a few weeks. Actually that was maybe a factor in the timing with all this? There have been some… adjustments after her departure."

"Maybe," he responded without much conviction. He didn't want to talk about the break-in. "So you help bring miracle babies into the world, she looks after them when they arrive? Sounds like quite the set-up."

"It works for us – and so far for investors too." He smiled, tilted his head to the side and was about to comment further when movement behind her caught his eye and he saw her nephew stumble through a door at the far end of the balcony, clutching a bright green ball.

"Looks like we've got company," he noted, nodding over her shoulder and she turned in her chair to investigate.

"Hey scamp, how did you get out here?" She called out warmly and beckoned him over. He quickly abandoned his ball and approached them, clambering up into her lap. "Julian, do you remember meeting James at my work last week? When we were there late at night and you watched TV with Brian?"

The toddler silently regarded him in a manner that James would swear was sizing him up, before shaking his head in the negative. Despite being dark brown, it was uncanny the resemblance his gaze had to his formidable aunt. James chuckled somewhat nervously.

"Guess I have a memorable face, huh?" Juliet looked up from the boy but was prevented from responding by a female voice that floated out from inside.

"Julian, where have you gotten….oh?" she stopped dramatically on reaching the balcony and he was no expert, but James could have sworn her surprise was an act. On observing her subtle roll of the eyes, it seemed Juliet wasn't fooled either.

"Rachel," she stated, reluctantly turning round whilst the woman sauntered over. "This is James, the detective I _told _you I was inviting over for lunch today. James, this is my sister, Rachel." James started to stand but was waved off by a dismissive swipe of her hand.

"Must've slipped my mind," she replied, not in the least convincingly, "It's a pleasure detective." She blatantly looked him up and down with a sly grin on her face, causing him to squirm slightly in his seat. Normally, such a move wouldn't have bothered him and he would have flippantly tossed out a flirty, smart-ass comment, but he held back, thinking Juliet wouldn't have appreciated it and he desperately wanted to make a good impression. From the way she had talked about her, this sister was obviously a huge part of her life.

He must have passed inspection, because Rachel quickly turned and pulled up an empty chair, ignoring a look of annoyance that flashed across Juliet's face. James definitely picked up on it though and had to wonder at it. He watched, fascinated as she pushed the remnants of her meal about her plate in agitation. Surely if this _wasn't_ in any way a date, the interruption wouldn't have phased her? Could she be just as nervous as he was?

The clearing of a throat brought him out of his thoughts and he quickly returned his attention to Rachel once more.

"So, I hear you've nearly got this break-in wrapped up to everyone's satisfaction James? It's such a relief to hear my baby sister is in such great hands."

"Rachel…" Juliet quietly interjected in a low, warning tone. He felt he had to come up with an answer.

"Uh, well we have a handle on the perpetrators, but as for Juliet's ex-husband, it's best not to get our hopes up. I don't have anything solid on conspiracy charges yet. We'll hopefully know more after questionin' him."

"We have every faith in you, detective," Rachel replied brightly, but he detected an edge to her voice. Apparently Juliet did too:

"Rachel!" she hissed, this time no mistaking the sharpness. Rachel turned back towards her sister and abruptly changed the subject. James zoned out slightly and was content to sit back and watch them interact. The conversation had gotten away from him, but it was obvious Rachel knew how to appease her sister and light-hearted banter was now being tossed back and forth. All the while, Julian had remained on his aunt's lap and she hugged him as he played with lego that had materialised from somewhere. He should be upset that his time was being monopolised, but in all honesty, he'd be perfectly content to sit and watch her in this relaxed manner all day. Just how many sides did this woman have?

After about ten minutes of this, Rachel suddenly looked back as if she'd just remembered he was there.

"I'm so sorry, look at me taking over your date!"

"It's not a da…" they both hurriedly started to insist at the same time, before stopping abruptly and catching the other's eye. They both blushed and looked away in embarrassment.

"Okay," Rachel stated awkwardly. "Well, come on buddy, mommy's got some errands to run." She stood up and reached over to pluck her son off of Juliet's lap, before turning to smile brightly at him once more. This time he did stand to see her off.

"Look at you, all Southern gentleman! It's been great meeting you, James." He ducked his head at this.

"Pleasure." She smiled one final time before sweeping off back the way they came. He was about to sit back down when Juliet jumped up too.

"Uh, that wine looks like it's hard work. I'll get you another beer." Before he could answer she had hurried off also, leaving through the door her sister had and not the one she'd been using previously. Sighing, he turned to lean against the balcony, looking out at some surfers in the ocean.

Juliet hurried after her sister as she collected her bag.

"Could you _be_ any more obvious? That door was closed, am I supposed to believe Julian grew a foot and managed to reach the handle on his own?"

"My God, Jules! He is one tall glass of water! What the hell are you doing in here with me?" Rachel completely ignored her sister's rebuke, annoying her all the more.

"Because I can't believe you just ambushed me like that!"

"Oh get over it, curiosity got the better of me. It didn't look like he minded. Had to see if he was good enough for you."

"I give up," Juliet threw her hands up in the air in frustration.

"Good. Now get back out there. If he looked at me the way I caught him staring at you, you'd have a fight on your hands. But alas, I have to run to the bank before it closes. Let's go little man." Taking her son's hand, she tossed Juliet a sly grin and wave before breezing out the door.

James leaned on the balcony and contemplated the ocean below. Something about Julian had reminded him of himself at that age and it made him realise that he hadn't once thought about his parents or that bastard Sawyer all week. Not since he'd met Juliet and got caught up in her world and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. The guilt of neglecting the memory of his parents warred with the elation of being unencumbered with the oppressive depression and anger that had become his life since he was 8 years old.

The far door opened once more, Juliet reappeared with a bashful smile and a bottle of beer and elation won out.

She stopped next to him and offered him the beer.

"I'm so sorry about that." She looked him in the eye briefly before turning her gaze to the water.

"Don't sweat it. It was nice to meet your family. Your sister's almost as intimidating as you are." She turned back to him and silently arched a brow in response. He took a quick swig of his beer and reached around her to place it on the table behind her. His arm brushed hers in the process and there was no mistaking the shiver that ran through her.

"Cold?"

"It's the middle of the afternoon in LA, James. No, I'm not cold." The look in her eye told him all he needed to know and finally gave him the impetus he sought.

"Well, listen, unless you wave me off I'm gonna kiss you right now."

"If it's not too much trouble." He grinned and shifted his focus from her eyes to her lips, taking a deep breath. It hit him that he'd never been this nervous about merely kissing a woman before, and the realisation momentarily rendered him paralysed.

"You _have_ done this before haven't you?" she smirked slightly and it spurred him into activity.

"Course I have, woman," he growled and swooped forward to swipe that infuriating smirk off her lips. The moment his lips touched hers he felt an overwhelming sense of peace. This was what had been missing in his life. He groaned and deepened the kiss and he instinctively knew, from the way one of her hands clutched his shirt, the other tangled in his hair, that she felt it too. She sighed, her tongue slowly duelling with his and it was one of the most sensual things he'd ever experienced. He wanted her. All of her – not just physically. And his body definitely wanted the physical. Every nerve ending was on fire and he was pretty sure she could by now feel evidence of it against her hip. To his relief, she didn't recoil.

She smiled against his lips and pulled back slightly, drawing in a ragged breath as she rested her forehead against his.

"I've wanted to do that so badly all week," he whispered hoarsely, clasping his hands comfortably against the small of her back. "Since Saturday at least."

"Not Friday?" She leaned back into his arms and looked up at him with a cheeky grin.

"Nah, Friday I was too pissed at being called out." She laughed and swatted him playfully.

"Didn't stop you checking me out."

"Well, nothin' would stop me chekin' you out, sweetheart." She rolled her eyes and he took this as his cue to lean in for another kiss, this time turning them slightly so she was backed up against the balcony. One hand reached up to softly cup her cheek, the other ran through her hair as she arched slightly into him.

He had begun to slowly kiss his way down her exquisite neck when the doorbell rang and she froze.

"Ignore it," he muttered, placing soft kisses behind her ear. She relaxed into his touch once more but it rang again, more insistently this time. She pushed him back with a frustrated groan.

"I can't. It might be important." He pouted and she reached up to kiss it away. "Stay right here. I'll get rid of them as quick as I can." She dragged her hand agonisingly slowly down his chest as she pushed away from him, moving towards the door with an apologetic smile. Her lips were slightly swollen and she'd never looked sexier.

"I got no problems waitin' Blondie." He sighed and she disappeared.

He grabbed his beer and took a long drink in an attempt to compose himself. What the hell was she doing to him? He slumped over the balcony and as his breathing slowly returned to normal he tried to hear what was going on inside. He thought he could detect a male's voice, but he couldn't be sure. He stood taking sips of his beer and waited. He wanted desperately to go in and chase whoever it was away, but she'd asked him to stay out here.

His resolve was quickly broken however, when he heard the unmistakable sound of her yelping slightly in pain. Thumping his bottle down, he crashed through into the living room to see a weasily, balding, middle-aged guy in a suit menacingly gripping her wrist as she vainly tried to struggle out of his grasp. On his entrance, they both turned his way, he in shock, she in relief as he let go and she backed up.

"Is this him?" James growled with barely contained anger. At her subtle nod he sprang forward on instinct and pounced on the guy, flinging him up against the wall with a restraining arm to his throat before he had any time to react.

"James, Don't!" he heard Juliet plead and if he'd have been any less furious he would have felt guilty at the fear in her voice.

"Who the hell are you?" the intruder spluttered, gasping for breath.

"Your worst nightmare, jackass," James replied with an air of menace, squeezing slightly to punctuate his point.

"Let me down, you thug, before I call the cops and have your ass bounced to jail so fast…" James grinned and pulled his badge out of his back pocket with his free hand, waving it in the douche's face."

"No need, we're already here. LAPD." He cocked his head to the side and looked at him in unguarded contempt. "Like I said – I'm your worst nightmare." At this he released his hold slightly and hauled the man back down, keeping a restraining hand clutching his forearm.

"What a coincidence, I've been waitin' for you to show up. Gonna have to ask you to accompany me to the station for a few questions."

"Am I under arrest, officer?" Edmund asked snidely as they moved towards the door. James glared at him then looked back at Juliet. He caught sight of the angry looking ring of red on her wrist and his blood boiled. His gaze moved up to meet hers and she shook her head imperceptibly. He sighed and nodded in understanding.

"I'd say we have a case for assault, but right now no, no arrest." He shot Juliet what he hoped was a reassuring look then hauled them both towards the still open door.


	10. Chapter 10

I have to apologise for this being so short, but the next bit might end up quite long and I'll probably need another week to finish it, so thought it best to post this in the meantime to keep it going. The reviews have been amazing as ever and I can't quite believe the number of hit's I'm getting! Hope you enjoy this small morsel.

**Chapter 10**

The drive to the station was completed in tense silence. Edmund leaned back into his seat with smug indifference, watching the passing scenery and James didn't trust himself to speak without saying something detrimental. Especially when every time he caught sight of him in his rearview mirror, his hands itched to pummel that smirk off his weasel-like face and it was all he could do to keep them firmly placed on the wheel. Likewise he couldn't allow himself to dwell on the fact that not fifteen minutes ago he was kissing Juliet – and she had most definitely kissed him back. If he allowed his thoughts free reign in that direction, chances are he'd end up crashing and kill them both. Not that killing the prick in the backseat would be a heartache, but it was probably best he kept his concentration firmly on the road if he ever wanted the chance to kiss her again.

Fortunately it was a relatively short drive and he was quickly pulling into the station. Parking in his spot, he quickly got out and opened the back door.

"We're here," he stated flatly as Edmund slowly got out.

"Really? I wouldn't have noticed." Was his smart assed reply as he sauntered past and headed towards the entrance. James glowered at his back, but at least he was willingly co-operating, he noted. Sighing, he hurried to catch up, reaching him in time to place a restraining hand on they guy's arm as they entered the precinct. He had to at least give the impression he was in control here. Nodding to the desk sergeant as he led him in, he stopped them briefly on the way past.

"Get Straume, tell him I need him in interrogation, now. This way Dr. Burke." Saying his name left a bad taste in his mouth and for the first time he wondered why she hadn't changed it after the divorce. They entered the bullpen and caught the attention of his Lieutenant.

"Hey Daniels, what's free?" His superior looked Edmund up and down with interest before checking a board beside him.

"Two."

"Great. If you see Miles, tell him I need him pronto?" Daniels nodded and returned his attention to the auto magazine on his desk. James led them through the room and into the interrogation room, inviting the doctor to take a seat before retrieving a cup of water from a cooler in the corner.

"I'd like a coffee."

"No can do. Machine's broke," James lied. He took a chair opposite and leant back, folding his arms and silently regarded the man before him. It was a cool and collected gaze that was returned to him and both men were content to size each other up for a few seconds. It was the doctor that finally broke the silence, just as James knew he would. He looked like the kinda guy who couldn't help himself.

"You know, this feels awfully like an arrest here, yet I've still to have my rights read or my lawyer contacted. Unfortunately he's in Miami, so might take him a while to get here. You've also still to inform me what this is all about, Detective. As cosy as this little outing is, I'd rather get on with it if you don't mind." James prolonged his silence a beat longer than necessary, calculating his next move.

"No arrest sir, we'd just like to ask you a few questions to help our enquiries. It's regarding the break-in that occurred at Dr. Burke's facility last week." The sorry son-of-a-bitch had the audacity to shake his head in sorrow.

"I'd heard about that. Dreadful business. However I don't see how I could be of assistance, but of course detective, anything I can do to help. Ask away," he smarmed insincerely.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to wait for my partner."

"Not at all. But since we have the time, perhaps you could answer something I've been curious about. Just how it came to be that you were out on my wife's balcony in the middle of the afternoon? Kinda strange place to conduct an investigation wouldn't you say?" His tone and accompanying smirk made James' blood boil and it took all his willpower to remain seated and calm.

"Ex-wife," he practically growled. Edmund tilted his head slightly as if considering this.

"Well technically, you could say that – but she'll always be mine. Even kept my name, you'll notice. As I'm sure you'll have also noticed her beauty. I have to admit I was surprised today, she always used to hide behind such dowdy clothes. Maybe if she'd made more of an effort then I wouldn't have left her." James couldn't hide his surprise at the audacity of this speech.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up, Detective. It takes a lot to keep up with her… intellect." At this barb, James couldn't help but slam his hand down on the table. The man before him jumped slightly and raised a brow in interest, aware his comments had hit their mark. James cursed himself for reacting. Where the hell was Miles?

"Yes, I saw your insults to her intellect, amongst other things, on Monday." He struggled to maintain an even tone to his voice. "Are you in the habit of such charming correspondence with your_ ex_-wife, doctor?" A slight flicker of alarm flashed briefly across his adversary's eyes and he continued, "Here's somethin' I've been curious about, as I understand it you were in Mexico on vacation at the time, boy news must sure travel fast for you to know about it so quick." Any answer, however, was interrupted by the door opening and Miles sticking his head in questioningly.

"Excuse us a minute. Make yourself at home, doc." He quickly stood and ushered his partner back out.

"What's up?" Miles asked in confusion once the door was closed behind them. "Who's that dude?"

"Where the hell ya been?" James asked in agitation.

"Uh getting a coffee down the street. I _am_ allowed to leave this place from time to time. Calm down, man."

"Sorry," he muttered, placing his hands on his hips. "That's Juliet's ex. Seems I didn't have to do much lookin'. He practically came to me. Or rather, her."

"Couldn't keep away, huh? You charging him?" Miles asked, taking a sip from his take-out coffee cup.

"For starters I want to throw the book at him and do him for assault!" He slammed a clenched fist into the wall behind him and Miles raised his eyebrows in question. "When I came across them, he had his filthy paw clenched around her wrist – looked painful. Also looked like it wouldn't have stopped there if I hadn't interrupted. But I can't," he sighed in frustration. "Not until I know if she wants to press charges."

"So you bide your time, deal with the break-in first." Miles shrugged, not seeing what the problem was. Sawyer sighed once more and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't want to, but knew for the good of the case he had to ask the next question.

"You've read the file right? Up on everything?"

"Yeah?" Miles replied cagily.

"Good, I need you to lead the questioning."

"Why? Thought you'd relish the opportunity." James crossed his arms over his chest defensively and steeled himself for the ridiculing he knew was coming his way.

"Here's the thing. I think I've become too close. Right now all I want to do is smash his face into the mirror. Questionin' him… I don't think I can trust myself to keep cool and that will only hurt the case. I need to step back. I need you to take charge." Realisation and a shit-eating grin spread across Miles' face.

"You dog! Have you been sleeping with her? On the job? Oh how the mighty Detective Ford has fallen!"

"No! We haven't, I swear. But I _have_ gotten emotionally involved. Go on laugh it up," he growled as Miles slapped his thigh in glee, "But I need you to get yer head in the game. The reason I was there when he showed up… I was there havin' lunch… socially. And I'm pretty sure that bastard in there has figured that out."

"OK," Miles nodded his head, serious once more, "How do you want to play it?"

"How about bad cop, silent cop? I'll sit in the back and just watch. Next door if need be."

"Cool. Let's do it." The two men nodded in understanding and headed back into the room.

#####


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Juliet stood dumbly and stared at her open front door once they left. What the hell had just happened? One minute she was throwing caution to the wind and kissing a sexy cop, then Ed was flinging threats at her and now… eerie silence. She absentmindedly rubbed her wrist and winced at the pain the action caused. She looked down at it for the first time and scrunched her nose in disgust at what she saw. Already finger-shaped bruises were starting to form.

Fantastic.

With a weary sigh, she forced her feet to move and closed the door once more before slumping back against it. What was she supposed to do now? Should she go down there or would she just be getting in the way? Would James want her to stay away and let him get on with his job?

James.

Despite the turmoil rolling in her stomach at that moment, the thought of him actually caused her to sigh slightly with a dreamy smile. Which was definitely not like her, but she just couldn't help it. Normally she abhors any form of violence, but the way he reacted when he saw Ed standing there, hurting her. Despite the fear that had surfaced that he'd do something rash, it was sexy as hell.

He liked her; that much was clear. Sure, the kiss could mean he just wanted to get her into bed, but the way he practically flew across the room to protect her and the look he flashed her as they were leaving suggested otherwise.

Wow.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she berated herself as she pushed away from the door. Get a grip and don't be so naïve, she thought. For all she knew this was all part of a well honed act to seduce women. However, not wanting to close herself off to the possibility he was being sincere, she'd just have to play it by ear and keep her cool.

And get through this shit-storm Ed had stirred up first.

All she wanted was for him to let her be and get out of her life for good. Was moving cross country not enough? Maybe she should quit medicine altogether and do something as far removed as possible she mused as she returned to the balcony and started clearing plates in an effort to occupy her hands. Like a chef… or a mechanic?

Yeah, being a grease-monkey sounded fun. She was good at fixing cars. In an effort to find some common ground with her rarely present father as a teenager, she'd gotten him to teach her how to tinker with old engines – a passion of his. Although that had abruptly ended not long after her eighteenth birthday when he'd run off with some flavour of the month to start a new life in Australia. The only time she'd seen him since was her mom's funeral five years later.

Sighing at the morose turn she'd taken, she slumped back against the balcony, toying with a fork in her hand. Looking back up at the house before her, a mechanic's wage would never pay for all this she realised. Medicine it would have to be.

This was doing her no good moping here, she decided, tossing the fork back onto the table with a clatter. She had to know what was happening. Resolutely marching back into the house, she grabbed her jacket from the closet and tossing the first paperback she spotted into her bag, rushed out the door.

#####

Most of her bravado had worn off on the drive over and she tentatively approached the desk sergeant on entering the precinct. She was surprised at how quiet it was, expecting it to be more busy on a Friday afternoon. She'd already been into a police station more times this week than most of her adult life, she realised as she smiled on gaining the officer's attention.

"Hi, I realise he's probably busy right now, but I need to speak to Detective Ford. Would it be alright to wait here for him until he's free?" She indicated with her arm a row of seats against the wall behind her.

"Uh…" the guy hesitated and looked about slightly in confusion and she noticed how young he looked. He was probably just temporarily filling in for whoever should be here. With a calculated toss of her hair, she plastered a smile on her face.

"Please, I'll be no trouble at all. It's really important that I get to speak to him, Officer…"She leaned in slightly to look at his nametag – sure enough there was no rank on it, "Phillips." He blushed slightly and looked around once more, obviously not sure if he should or not.

"OK Ma'am, I suppose that will be alright. Would you like me to get a message to him? He's interviewing a suspect right now, but…"

"No, that's fine, thanks. If you could just let him know that Dr Burke is waiting for him when he's available, I don't mind waiting." She turned to head towards a chair, but confusion flashed across the young man's face once more as he looked at the computer screen in front of him.

"But a Dr Burke is who he is in with right now…" he trailed off in uncertainty.

"Yeah," she smiled apologetically as she took a seat. "That would be my ex-husband," she shrugged.

"Oh. Are you here to see him?" He started to shift and lifted up his desk phone, "maybe I should get Detective Ford to come out…"

"No don't!" She rose once more in alarm. "I definitely am not here for him. Please, I just need to know what's going on. Really, I'll wait."

"OK," he replied with some uncertainty, but replaced the handset and she reclaimed her seat. She grabbed a nearby magazine, rolling her eyes when she realised it was nearly three months old. Regardless, she flipped it open and attempted to pay attention to what was on the pages as a few people hustled by. Maybe this was the calm before the storm, she mused. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her companion toss her agitated looks every few minutes.

Sure enough, he was soon joined by a uniformed officer in his late forties who she recognised as being on the desk earlier that week. The younger officer gestured in her direction and spoke in a nervous manner. The older man looked over and to her relief must have recognised her also, because he smiled warmly and approached. She started to rise, but he motioned for her to remain in her seat as he held out his hand in greeting.

"Dr Burke, Sergeant Horowitz, ma'am. We met on Monday night was it?" She nodded in agreement as she shook his hand. "Of course you're more than welcome to wait, but he could be a while I'm afraid. Would you not rather I get him to call you once he's done?" He was obviously familiar with the case.

"Thanks but I'd rather just wait here if you don't mind? I'd just go crazy waiting at home."

"Sure. I'm sorry I don't have anywhere more comfortable to offer you right now, or better reading material," he joked, gesturing to the magazine in her hand.

"I don't mind, honestly." He nodded and returned to his desk to deal with an agitated looking man who'd just entered and she remembered the book she'd grabbed and retrieved it from her bag. She didn't even know what it was she'd brought. She turned it over to see the cover.

Great. Wuthering Heights.

She'd been trying for nearly a month now to get through it and it was a struggle. Cathy she just wanted to strangle, Heathcliff was a melodramatic freak and there wasn't one likeable character so far. Plus it didn't help that every time she attempted to read it, she got Kate Bush stuck in her head for the rest of the day.

Oh well, her choices were simple right now, sit here in silence and go out of her mind, or read about self-centred half-wits doing so in the name of some grand love.

Sighing, she cracked open the book.

#####

Juliet was nearing the end of her book when the door finally opened and she looked up to see James appear. She hurried to her feet and thought he looked exhausted as he spotted her and approached with a small smile. Despite the seriousness of the situation, focusing on his lips only served to remind her just where he had been skilfully putting them to use earlier that day, clouding everything else in her tired mind.

"You kissed me." The words flew out of her mouth of their own accord. Great, way to play it cool.

"Well if that's how you want to play it", he said with a surprised laugh and moved closer. "I most certainly did and would much rather do it again than talk about what I gotta tell you." He leaned down to follow through, but his last words cleared her head and she reluctantly leaned back and halted his progress with her hand. A look of hurt and confusion crossed his features and she quickly grabbed his hand with her other one in an attempt to appease him.

"What have you got to tell me?" she asked softly, giving his hand a squeeze. He sighed and pulled back slightly, giving her a searching look.

"Uh, don't know about you, but I could use some fresh air?" She nodded and grabbed her bag and he led her out, refusing to relinquish her hand. They walked in silence for a few minutes. It was now dark and she watched as he rolled his shoulders and took some deep breaths of the cool air. This didn't look good.

"Why don't we sit on that bench over there?" She tugged slightly and he followed her over to the edge of a small park. Once seated, he dropped her hand and ran both of his through his hair. She remained silent and allowed him to collect his thoughts.

"I got nothin', Juliet." He finally stated. "I'm sorry. He's covered his tracks and knows it. There's nothin' to link him to Dale. But I _know_ he did it!" He turned to her with a look of anguish.

"Yeah," she agreed with a sigh. She'd already become resigned to this outcome whilst waiting. "But he failed, James."

"So did I!" He grimaced and slumped back on the bench, tilting his head up to the sky.

"Hey!" She reached over and placed a hand on his knee, ignoring the frisson of energy she felt on the contact. "Look at me," she urged. He complied and she continued. "No, you didn't. You solved the case and have two people charged, don't you?" He smiled slightly and reluctantly nodded.

"Only cos you figured the cameras were off."

"We make a good team." She smiled encouragingly. "Everything's fine… I'm fine." His eyes darkened slightly and he reached for her arm, gently pushing up the dark brown leather of her jacket to reveal the ugly bruises. He closed his eyes briefly at the sight, the anger clear to see in his eyes when he opened them to hold her gaze.

"Are ya really? Jesus, Juliet. We can still charge him with assault?" She shook her head at the suggestion. "Why the hell not? The evidence is right there and I'm a witness!" It was her turn to lean back as she contemplated how to explain it.

"It's just… it's not enough. My line of work, it's still such an old boy's network at times. If I was to go through with this over something so trivial, it's my name that will get dragged through the mud too. Theft? Sure, throw the book at him, but a bruised wrist? It's just not worth it James. I don't need the hassle." He narrowed his eyes at her speech and she could see the gears turning in his head. His next question wasn't much of a surprise.

"Has he done this kind of thing before? Did he hurt you when you were married?"

"I'm not some battered wife, James." She stated dismissively with a roll of her eyes, but he wasn't deterred.

"Did he?" he asked again, his voice low. She sighed, knowing he wasn't going to like the answer.

"Twice." She felt him tense beside her and she quickly continued, "The first time he was drunk, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. The second time I left him, Rachel convinced me to file for divorce the next day."

"I'll kill him." He growled and started to rise. She grasped his arm to halt him.

"No. He's not worth it. Let him go. I just want him out of my life."

"We'll get a restraining order!" She shook her head with finality.

"No. Anyway - enough about him. What are we doing here?" She changed the subject with a quirked brow.

"I'm guessing you're not talking about sitting on a bench, huh?" He shifted in his seat so he was sitting side-on facing her. "I don't know. All I _do_ know is that you captivate me Blondie… and quite frankly it scares the hell outta me. I don't have the best track record with women, but this…" he trailed off and gestured between them with his hand. "What about you?" She felt herself blush slightly at his words.

"You've seen all the evidence you need how well my last relationship turned out," she replied with a bitter smirk. "But I like you. A lot… and yeah, it scares me too. It's been unexpected." He turned from her and looked unseeing at the darkened park before them.

"I'm a loner, Juliet. Always have been. My parents both died when I was eight." She opened her mouth to speak but he quickly cut her off. "No, it's fine. That's a whole other story if I don't manage to chase ya off. Since then I don't do family. It wasn't for me. But something changed earlier today, when I watched you with your sister and nephew.

"Yes, I want to kiss you again – want to do a hellova lot more than that if I'm honest," He continued with a sly sideways look. "But it's more than that. I've known you what…" he looked down at his watch, "exactly a week now. I can't explain it but I'd like… I'd like to be a part of what I saw this afternoon. To earn a place in your family. I won't hurt you, Juliet. Not like that sorry sonofabitch back there. Whadaya say?" He flashed her a hopeful grin, dimples on display, and her heart melted. How could she refuse him anything after words like that?

"OK," she replied, a slight giggle bubbling its way to the surface. A flash of relief crossed his features, followed by a cocky grin.

"What? OK? That's it? I pour my heart out here – something I've never done before by the way – and all I get is _OK_? Geez ya don't give much away!" She smiled at his indignation.

"I'm sorry, it's just… how do I top that?"

"I know; I even surprised myself there."

"How about I do this instead?" she asked, reaching forward to kiss him. He groaned in response, sending a shiver up her spine as he pulled her closer. It was amazing, even better than before, and she couldn't get enough. Shifting position, she was dimly aware in the back of her mind they were in a public place, but as she moved to straddle his lap, his hands sliding up the curve of her lower back, she honestly couldn't give a damn. She felt him smile against her lips then broke away slightly, panting for breath.

"Works for me, Blondie," he growled and captured her mouth once more, pulling her closer still. Her hands worked their way through his hair then down the hard planes of his chest as she felt the stirrings of his arousal. It sent a jolt of electricity through her and she gasped, her hips grinding against him slightly of their own volition. He groaned once more, this time with a hint of frustration as he broke away and turned his face to the side, eyes closed.

"We should stop," he muttered reluctantly as he struggled to regulate his breathing. It only made her want him more. To hell with caution, she thought.

"Come home with me, James," she murmured as she tilted her head to kiss the pulse point behind his ear. Unexpectedly though, he caught her wrists with his hands in a move to stop her and tried to lean back to put some distance between them. She hissed in pain as he made contact with the bruises and he quickly dropped them once more. The hurt in her eyes as she looked questioningly at him more than just due to the physical trauma.

"Ah jeez, I'm sorry Juliet. Did I hurt you?" he looked panicked, but her walls had already gone back up. She looked down and schooled her face into a blank expression.

"It's fine," she replied stiltedly as she tried to slide off his lap once more. His arms quickly encircled her though, halting her progress.

"Believe me, there's nothing I'd like more," he whispered as he tried to lean his forehead against hers. She pulled back and looked at him silently, eyebrow raised in question. "I don't want to fuck this up." He stated with conviction. "Please let me do this right? I think we should slow down a bit." Reluctantly, she acceded to the wisdom of his words. She would much rather they got this right than rushed it needlessly.

"You're right," she whispered, placing a soft kiss on his mouth, before leaning back once more to smile softly.

"That's OK," he grinned, "I can understand it's hard to control yourself around me. Many women struggle." She playfully swatted his chest and rolled her eyes and his grin widened at her reaction.

"Seriously though, I will stay with you if you don't mind. If I'm gonna have to kick that punk to the curb, I ain't restin' easy until he's on his way back to Miami. I wouldn't put it past him turnin' up at your door once more."

"He wouldn't be that stupid, surely?" She shook her head, not believing he would. James shrugged.

"Still, I'd feel better sleepin' on your couch. Or if there's a spare bed goin' in that fancy ass mansion of yours? You'll have'ta promise not to seduce me though."

"I think I'll manage. Whether you'll be able to keep your hands off me is another matter though," She replied with an arch smile as she prised his hands from her back and rose from his lap. "You can have a whole spare room if you're good." She held her hand out and he took it to rise also. They turned and slowly walked back towards the precinct.

"I have a change of clothes in my locker. I'll get Miles to process him out and we can get going." He slipped an arm around her shoulders to pull her close and she leant her head on his shoulder with a sigh as they walked. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this content and safe.

"Ok," she agreed simply as he dropped a kiss on her temple and they turned to head into the building.


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry in advance…

**Chapter 12**

James bolted upright in bed, alarmed and disorientated. Where the hell was he? He looked around the darkened room in bewilderment, not recognising a thing. Then he heard the racket that must have woken him up – a doorbell was being rung incessantly, accompanied at intervals by the banging of a door.

He was at Juliet's house. This was her guest room.

Who the hell was making all that noise? A sinking feeling in his stomach told him he could probably make a pretty good guess. Springing from the bed, he hauled his jeans on and grabbed his gun from the nightstand. He wasn't taking any chances.

Out in the hall, the door to his right cracked open to reveal a startled Juliet. She was dressed in a white tank and girlie boxers, her hair all dishevelled as she looked him up and down in confusion. Any other time he would have smiled at how damn cute and sexy she looked and dwelt on the appraising look in her eye at his bare torso, not to mention the amount of skin she herself had on show. But unfortunately there was an insistent visitor to deal with first.

"In the habit of receiving late night callers, Sunshine?" He asked in a low rumble as he turned to cautiously head down the stairs. She tossed him a quick glare as she yawned and stretched before following him.

"What do you think?" she grumbled from behind him. Stumbling slightly in the dark, she pitched into his back. He quickly flung out an arm to steady her.

"Easy Tiger, you OK?"

"Peachy," she sarcastically returned, fighting off another yawn. She was definitely _not_ one to be woken in the middle of the night, he surmised. She flicked a light on as they reached the bottom and he squinted at the sudden glare. Looking back at her for permission, she grabbed a hooded sweatshirt from a nearby closet and shrugged it on before nodding for him to approach the door.

He looked through the peephole and sure enough, there was Edmund pushing the doorbell. From the way he was leaning against it, it looked like he was pretty drunk. With an exaggerated sigh he turned back to her, glad to see she'd remained ten feet away at the bottom of the stairs. "It's him," he confirmed and clicking the safety back on his gun, stuck it in the back of his waistband. "Shall I do the honours?" She nodded reluctantly.

"He's not going to go away if we just ignore it." With another sigh he turned the lock and yanked the door open. Edmund blinked slowly up at him in confusion for a beat, then shrugged as a belligerent smirk spread over his features.

"Not the best idea you've had all day, Hoss. I think you should leave now before you do something you regret," James offered in a pacifying manner. "Go sleep it off, huh, Bud?" Edmund drunkenly waved off his concern.

"Guess I wasn't wrong earlier, got yer feet good and under the table here. Make the most of it 'tective, you'll soon grow tired of her – we all do. Where's she?" He made a move to enter, but James quickly held a hand out to stop him.

"No way man, I ain't lettin' y'all in. Go home." His patience was starting to wear thin, especially with his disparaging remarks. Ignoring his warning, Edmund suddenly surged forward, forcing James to lunge to grab hold of him, keeping him back.

"I'm not leaving here until I see that bitch that ruined my life!" He yelled, "You can't hide her, where is she?" He struggled against James' grasp.

"I take it you're talking about me, Ed?" Juliet calmly interrupted them, catching his attention.

"You whore!" He spat with venom, "What the hell do you think you're doing, setting the cops on me? Is that what lover boy's here for, part of some plan to get back at me?" Her cool gaze remained focused on him, unblinking.

"Get back at you for what? That would suggest you still hold some consequence in my life. But you don't Ed, I'm done with you." She shook her head at his disbelieving sneer. "What's wrong? Is it finally sinking in that you can't keep living your life hijacking other people's success? I have to say I'm surprised you haven't managed to find someone else for you to hide your own inadequacies behind. Losing your touch are you?" She crossed her arms defensively and looked at him in distain. "Look at you, you've had to actually resort to paying someone to steal from me. Failed in that too though, didn't you? I actually pity you."

James made the mistake of shifting his attention to her as she spoke, loosening his hold slightly. Therefore he was caught off guard when Edmund suddenly surged forward again, with surprising strength for someone of his stature and considering how intoxicated he was. James struggled slightly to maintain his hold, having to step back to brace his own weight against it. Unfortunately his bare foot caught on the corner of a rug behind him and he slipped bringing them both crashing down onto the hardwood floor.

The momentum as he landed caused his gun to come loose and skit across the floor towards Edmund. Despite his drunken state, James was never going to reach it first and Ed quickly seized on the opportunity. Picking it up he swung upwards and clocked James on the jaw with it as he made a lunge for it, sending the larger man reeling back in pain. In the blink of an eye, Ed was on his feet; the gun trained as best he could on a stunned Juliet. The whole thing had happened too quickly for her to process and react.

Through the dizzy haze, James heard the unmistakable click of the safety being removed.

"Now who's the one to be pitied? I'm thinking maybe the dumb cop that's currently on the floor." He punctuated his words with a swift kick to James' guts, just as the pain had started to subside in his jaw.

"Edmund, put the gun down." Juliet appeared calm, but James could detect a hint of fear in her voice as he struggled to sit up. "We can talk about this, what do you want?"

"How many times do I have to tell you – You're mine!" He yelled in anger. "I got you where you are, Juliet. How dare you think you can leave! I own you, you ungrateful bitch, your work is mine!" He shook his head sadly, "Well, if I can't have you…"

At that moment, Rachel burst through into the room, concerned about the noise. She stopped in horror at the sight before her.

"What the hell…Ed?" Her entrance fleetingly drew his attention from Juliet slightly and completely off James. It was all the opening James needed. He hauled himself from the ground and launched his body at the hand holding the gun.

It went off as he brought their bodies crashing to the ground and his heart stopped in fear.

#####

… and sorry again, but I couldn't not leave it there! Don't worry, the next chapter has been written and will be posted in a day or two. It is also likely to be the last, with an epilogue to follow. Don't quote me on that though…


	13. Chapter 13

I do apologise once more for being so cruel. But it prompted so many great reviews, I can't find it in me to be _too_ sorry. I hope this chapter helps to make it up to you all.

**Chapter 13**

Immediately, James raised himself up off Edmund's body and looked up in dread. The relief he felt when he saw Rachel with her arms around a shocked but seemingly unhurt Juliet was palpable. A bullet hole graced the wall not a foot above her head.

"You're both OK? Nobody hurt?" Rachel looked over and quickly nodded affirmatively. He wilted slightly until he remembered the body squirming under his weight. With blind anger and hatred towards the guy, he grabbed the back of his shirt and lifted him up, then swung his fist so it connected with the weasel's face with a satisfying crack. He fell to the floor, out cold.

James looked back up at the women as he flexed his hand, now starting to bleed slightly. Rachel was now weeping on Juliet's shoulder as she tried to comfort her, but it looked like Juliet hadn't moved. She stood, impervious to her sister's cries as she looked blankly on at the men on the floor. She was justifiably in shock, James realised.

Unfortunately, he had a scene to secure before he could do anything else. He'd be damned if Edmund wasn't going down this time.

"Rachel?" He called, gaining the brunette's attention. "I need to cuff him before he comes to. They're in my jacket, which I think is in that closet there." He indicated the one Juliet had just gotten her sweatshirt from. "Can you bring them to me?" As she reluctantly released her sister and completed his request, James looked about for a suitable place to put him. Spying a radiator on the other side of the door, he got up and hauled the unconscious man over, bringing his arms behind as he propped him up against it. Rachel brought the handcuffs over and he deftly looped them through a pipe and snapped them onto Edmunds wrists.

That done he stood and nodded in satisfaction as Rachel returned to her previous position.

"I also need a magic marker or sharpie or somethin' and a pen and paper. Where would I find them?" Rachel looked back at him in confusion and started to try to lead her sister to the couch. "Wait! Sorry, but I need you both to stay there for just one second. I'm sorry, but I have'ta do this. The sharpie?"

"Uh there should be something in that drawer over there, by the door to the kitchen." She pointed where with a shaky hand.

"Great, thanks." He went across, patting Rachel's arm in a gesture of comfort as he passed. Quickly finding some suitable pens and paper, he hurried back to the sisters. Rachel had complied with his wishes and Juliet it looked was in no state to move on her own anyway. He crouched down in front of her and grabbed her hand, tugging to force her attention away from Edmund and onto him.

"Hey Blondie, you're OK. Everything's going to be fine, I promise. Ya hear?" He was rewarded with a slight smile and nod. "Sorry I gotta mark yer fancy floor, should come off though." Keeping hold of her hand, he looked down and drew an X with the marker at her feet. "Two secs more." He then sprang back and returned to the spot he and Ed were during the scuffle. Looking at his surroundings, then back to Juliet, before finally to the bullet hole, he gauged where they both were and put two more Xs.

"This look about right to you Rachel?" He asked.

"Uh… I guess. It was all so quick." He nodded once more and rose to his feet again, heading back to them. Grasping Juliet's hand once more, he started to lead her away and over to the couch, Rachel following them at her other side.

Wordlessly they all sank into the couch, Juliet in the middle. She had yet to say a word. His heart clenched and he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and never let go, but he still wasn't finished. As Rachel stroked her hair, murmuring platitudes, James reached over and picked up the phone, dialling 911.

"Hi, this is Detective Ford from Precinct 23. I'm calling in a shooting. Nobody's hurt and I have the suspect apprehended, but it was my firearm that was discharged so I can't bring it in myself, I need you to send someone over from 23." He rattled off the address and replaced the receiver. He felt a hand on his thigh and looked at Juliet to see her watching him, her eyes beginning to water. He took her hand tightly in his and leaned over to gently brush her tears away.

"Oh Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. If I hadn't brought my gun down, that never could have happened." He cupped her cheek and she leant into his touch.

"I'm fine, James… I'll be fine. It's just the shock… but don't be silly – don't you dare think this was your fault." She stated softly but forcefully, speaking for the first time since the incident. "He's lost it. I've never seen him like that." Rachel interrupted, clearing her throat beside them.

"I'd better go check on Julian. He'll sleep through a hurricane, but still. Let me know when the cops get here." She rose, patting her sister on the shoulder and silently left them.

James reached around her and pulled her close, resting his lips at her temple. He closed his eyes and breathed her in as she snuggled into his side. She'd nearly been killed tonight. He'd only just found her and had come _this_ close to losing her before they'd even begun and the realisation shook him to the core. How was it possible to fall for someone so completely in such a short space of time? He barely knew her, yet he felt he could look into those startlingly blue eyes and see right into her soul and knew instinctively there was nothing of himself he could possibly hide from her. Not that he wanted to. He was no longer afraid of this and vowed that as long as he was alive and breathing, nobody would ever get the chance to hurt her again.

With a reluctant sigh he kissed her forehead and patted her shoulder, shifting to lean over the coffee table. It was awkward, but he didn't want to let go. "I gotta write down all that happened while it's still fresh in my mind."

"Alright," she yawned and moved so that she was lying with her head on his lap.

"Rest yer eyes until the cops get here, I got you." He looked over briefly at Ed. The combination of the blow and the alcohol in his system must've knocked him out good for he was still slumped unmoving over the radiator. He started scribbling all he could as she silence settled in, punctuated only by her even breathing and the sound of sirens in the distance.

#####

What seemed like hours later, he leaned against the wall sipping a glass of water and alternating an ice-pack between his jaw and knuckes, thoughtfully watching one of his colleagues wrap up an interview with Juliet on the couch. Edmund had been long since hauled off for charging. If James had anything to do with it, they'd be going for attempted murder and by the looks he'd exchanged with his fellow officers, they were of the same mind. She was more talkative and animated than before, but was still worryingly quiet and docile. She'd staunchly refused to allow them to take her to the hospital to be checked over though, stating she was fine and just needed to sleep it off. Guess it's true what they say about doctors making the worst patients.

"Hey," he turned his head slightly to see Rachel join him, mimicking his pose against the wall.

"They're almost done. She's been holding up well."

"That's Juliet for you," she replied with a small smile before suddenly changing track. "What the hell happened today James? When I got back there was nobody here. Next thing I know it's the middle of the night and there's a shouting match going on. I'd be forgiven for thinking you weren't the best influence if Ed wasn't involved. And going by your appearance," she nodded to his chest, now hidden under a t-shirt, "It looks like you spent the night here. I know I told her to go for it, but that's so not like her…" He held up his hand to halt her tirade. He ran his hand through his hair and let out a nervous laugh.

"Well… where to start? Not long after you left this afternoon her ex turned up at the door. I didn't hear what was said, but it looked like he was shouting the odds. I quickly took him in for questioning. Juliet followed us and waited at the station – that's where we were when you got back. Anyway, it lasted long into the evening, but I had nothing I could charge him with and had no choice but to let him go. When we got back it was late and she didn't want to wake you. Yes I spent the night, but I swear I was in the guest room. I didn't trust that guy enough to leave her alone until he was safely on his way back to Miami. Guess I wasn't wrong. Only if I hadn't been here she wouldn't have been shot at."

"Who knows what might have happened if you weren't! I heard her warn you not to blame yourself and I agree with her. At the end of the day you protected her and I'll be forever grateful for it. Not that she'd ever admit she needs protecting." She added with an ironic smile that James returned wholeheartedly.

"I hear ya. I ain't goin' anywhere and I'll look after her. I promise." She narrowed her gaze as she considered his words, blatantly sizing him up.

"See that you do, detective. From the way you've both been acting, I'm guessing you've stopped pretending that wasn't a date earlier?"

"Yes ma'am," he answered, his eyes shining despite the situation. She smiled once more and nodded.

"OK then," turning her attention back towards Juliet, the detective had risen and was heading their way. Rachel quickly returned to her sister as James walked him to the door. Everybody else had already left.

"Let's get you back to bed huh, Jules?" Rachel was trying to coax her into standing as James approached the couch once more. Juliet had returned to blankly staring at some unseen spot on a far wall, ignoring her sister's pleas. Rachel tossed him a helpless look and he nodded, taking a seat on the couch.

"Hey, it's nearly 4am and I don't know about you, but I'm beat." He stated softly, placing a hand on her bare knee. The action brought her from her thoughts and she jumped slightly, looking down at her leg.

"James, look at your hand!" She exclaimed, picking it up to inspect his scraped knuckles. "You're bleeding."

"Nah, I'm fine… it's stopped. Now about…"

"Nonsense," she interrupted, standing up abruptly. "It'll get infected if you don't get some antiseptic on it." Ignoring any protest she strode through to the kitchen. James met Rachel's eyes in exasperation.

"Uh, think I'll leave you both to it. Get her to bed, OK?" Rachel gave him a stern look as she rose and headed towards the adjoining door.

"I'll try my best," he called after her in defeat. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He had to be at work in 5 hours and he was torn between exhaustion and the need to find out what was going on down at the precinct. However, he was worried about Juliet and whether she admitted it or not, felt he was needed here more. He heard her footsteps returning and opened his eyes to regard her. She sat down and reached for his hand but he quickly snatched it back and out of reach.

"James." She stated in a warning tone.

"I ain't lettin' you look at it until you promise to go to bed straight after."

"I promise." She replied, as if talking to a child. He let her take his hand once more and she started applying crème with much more attention than required - an obvious action of avoidance. He watched her silently and contemplated asking her if she wanted to talk.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said softly, as if reading her thoughts. "Not yet, alright?" She finished her ministrations and looked up at him pleadingly. He didn't have the heart to push it.

"OK. But I ain't goin' anywhere if you do. Now," he stood up and held out a hand to help her up, "Let me put you to bed."

"What am I, four?" she asked with a hint of amusement as she rose to her feet. "I am perfectly capable of getting myself there." Despite her protests she followed his lead up the stairs to her room. He hesitated at the threshold, this was a big deal even if sex was the furthest thing from his mind at that moment. He heard her sigh and slip around him, flicking the light on as she entered.

"You can come in if you like, I won't bite," she turned back and smiled softly at him before removing the sweatshirt and sitting down on the bed. He ran a hand through his hair and smiled back, trying not to look like a deer caught in the headlights. He entered, looking around at the large, bright and airy room. It was decorated in neutral colours yet still had an inviting air about it. It was only slightly feminine, yet suited its owner perfectly. On one wall there was a large collage of photographs that he wanted to inspect closely at a more appropriate time.

Instead he turned his attention back to Juliet as she slipped under the sheets. He moved towards the bed and fussed with the covers, not sure what else to do.

"Can I, uh, get you anything? Some water or somethin'?" He enquired as she leant back with a deep sigh.

"No, I'm good thanks. For everything."

"Don't mention it, Blondie. Anytime." He ducked his head slightly in embarrassment. "Well, uh, I'll see you in the mornin' I guess," he turned to leave the room, pausing to turn the light off.

"Wait," her quiet voice halted him in the darkness. He turned but was unable to make her form out. "I… would you mind staying?" he heard her ask shakily. "I don't think I can be alone." She chuckled humourlessly, "maybe I'm still four after all." He was powerless to deny her anything at that moment.

"Of course," he answered softly. Leaving the light off he returned to the bed, feeling his way around to the opposite side as his eyes adjusted to the dark. He sat down and found her arm, caressing it lightly. "No funny business though." He was rewarded with a genuine laugh at this.

"Girl-scout's honour." He grinned to himself and removed his jeans once more before slipping under the covers.

"Good. This being a gentleman is taking a hellova lotta willpower." He opened his arm in invitation and she silently took it, scooting closer and resting her head comfortably on his shoulder. It felt totally natural and he savoured the closeness - he was only sorry that it wasn't under better circumstances.

"It's appreciated James," she whispered, her arms tightening around him.

"It's fine. I happen to think you're worth the effort, Blondie." He started to lightly stroke her hair and silence fell upon them. He felt her heartrate slow and her breathing even out and after a while was sure she'd fallen asleep. He felt his own eyes grow heavy and was about to drift off when she suddenly spoke up once more.

"I keep thinking I'm going to wake up to find this whole evening has been one big nightmare. Apart from this, obviously. This maybe is a dream."

"I wish I knew what to say, Sweetheart," he sighed. He shifted slightly and their legs became intertwined. "If I could make it all go away, I would in a heartbeat, even if it meant I never met you." She raised herself up slightly to look him seriously in the eye.

"Don't say that, you're the one good thing to come of all this mess." He relented with a bittersweet sigh.

"In that case I ain't goin' anywhere. It'll be tough going but we'll get through it." She smiled and returned to her former position on his chest, her hand drawing lazy circles on his shirt.

"I just can't believe that he actually pointed a gun at me. The look in his eyes… he would have fired it if you hadn't stopped him. He hated me _that _much."

"Desperate men do stupid things. If there's one thing my job has taught me it's that. He'd obviously had a lot to drink, he wasn't thinking clearly."

"Some first date, huh? Who knew I had so much baggage."

"It's definitely one I won't forget anytime soon."

"It hasn't put you off?" she asked, somewhat hesitantly. He couldn't believe she still doubted his intentions.

"I'm here, aren't I? Let me take you out for dinner after my shift tomorrow and I'll show you how little I've been put off?" He sensed her smile at his request.

"I'd like that." She replied and was silent once more.

"Y'know," he started after a few minutes staring at the ceiling, enjoying the feel of her in his arms, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say tonight was one big elaborate ploy to get me into yer bed after all." The resulting giggle was music to his ears.

"Thank you." She replied once they had subsided.

"For what?"

"For making me laugh despite myself."

"Anytime, Blondie. Anytime. Now get some sleep." He affected a commanding tone. "Some of us still have to go to work in the morning."

"Yes sir," she replied with a yawn and settled against him, her arm sliding around his torso. He kissed her hair and closed his eyes, succumbing to the lulling sound of the ocean outside. _He could definitely get used to this_, was his last conscious thought before sleep prevailed.

#####

While I do feel it's maybe a bit abrupt, I am going to be wrapping it up there folks. If I don't I'll be in serious danger of just meandering on aimlessly. There will be an epilogue that's mostly written, but I'm finishing up my thesis in the next few days, then on Thursday am off to the Bahamas for a week so I doubt it will be up before I get back.


	14. Epilogue

So here is the promised epilogue. It really is unashamed fluff, but it's not often I get the chance to finish something of this size off properly so I reserve the right to give in to whimsy and tie this up in a big cute bow. I am completely indebted to everyone who has taken the time to review and the hundreds more who have kept up with reading.

So now that this is done and dusted, as is my masters, I'm off home to job hunt and so will have plenty of time to return to _Birds_.

Enjoy.

**Epilogue**

It was a weary Juliet that shuffled through her front door, easing it closed behind her with her foot as she gratefully dropped her laden briefcase on the floor. It had been one of the longest and emotionally-wrought days of her life and she couldn't decide if a glass of wine was in order or whether it was so late that she just wanted to crawl straight into bed.

Kicking off her shoes and hanging her jacket on a nearby stand, she padded into the living room of the silent house. The sight that greeted her brought forth the first genuine smile of the day. Her tiredness forgotten, she looked about, wondering where her camera could be.

There on the sofa, lay her two favourite men, sprawled out and dead to the world, softly illuminated by a side lamp above their heads.

As quietly as possible she crept to a side table and removed her camera from a drawer. Looking back, she was relieved to see they hadn't moved. Stretched out on his back, James slept with his glasses still on and what looked like a Thomas the Tank Engine book clutched loosely in a hand by his side. On his stomach Julian lay face down, thumb in his mouth. She noted wryly that a nearly empty glass of red wine rested on the table beside them. That's what she got for teaching him an appreciation for it. She hoped that wasn't the last of the bottle.

Picture taken, she smiled once more – if the guys at work could see him now. Setting the camera down, she headed around the back of the sofa and crouched down at its head. His hair longer now than when they'd first met, she reached out and gently tucked a strand out James' face and behind his ear. This failed to rouse him so she removed his glasses and was rewarded with a slight moan as he stirred. His head lolled in her direction as his eyes sleepily blinked open.

"Hey," she uttered softly with a tired grin, propping her chin up on the back of the sofa.

"Hey yerself," he huskily rumbled, seemingly confused for a second before looking down in recognition at the still slumbering four year old on his chest.

"What's all this?" She asked in delight, nodding down at her nephew. "In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you I've taken a photo – made sure to get the wine glass in." He grinned and rolled his eyes good naturedly at her amusement.

"Rachel had a last minute date. No idea who with though, before you ask. Since I was all home alone I guess she had to go with last on her babysitting list."

"Nonsense," she shook her head at his self deprication. "Interesting. She didn't mention anything earlier, although…" realisation began to dawn as she considered the news, "when I left to return to work she _was_ deep in conversation with Will and I had to leave her there."

"Your lawyer?" James' eyebrows raised in surprise for a second before his eyes clouded slightly in anguish. "I'm so sorry I couldn't be there today. There was just no way I could get outta my shift." He freed an arm and reached up to cup her cheek and she leant into the touch.

"It's fine, I know how it goes. It was just sentencing and you've already taken enough time off for the trial." She patted his hand as she rose and leant over to pluck Julian off him. Her nephew squirmed slightly but didn't wake fully as she gathered him into her shoulder.

"I can take him up," James softly protested as he rose to a sitting position, but she waved him off.

"I want to do it. You can get me some wine if you've left any." She hugged Julian close and made no attempt to move however, content to savour the feel of him in her arms.

"So the bastard only got ten years. He could be out in half of that." James returned to their previous conversation with a low, bitter growl. She closed her eyes briefly, the weariness setting in once more. On opening them she met his concerned gaze.

"I'm just glad it's finally all over. It was a stupid drunken mistake that's ruined his life and turned ours upside down. Ten years I can live with and he can't ever come near me again." James shook his head and stood, coming around to stand face to face with her. At his black look she continued with a slightly lighter tone, "Plus if he ever was stupid enough to try I got you to play bodyguard, right?"

"Damn straight!" he returned in all seriousness and she smiled. Relenting with a sigh he stepped forward, kissed her softly on the cheek and lightly ruffled Julian's hair before turning and heading towards the kitchen. "I'll get yer wine while ya put the munchkin to bed."

"I'll just be a minute," she quietly called after him and started to ascend the stairs. She always felt better putting him down in what was now their spare room when Rachel was out at night. His own bedroom was too far away if something were to happen.

Not five minutes later she made good on her word and entered the living room once more to find two full wineglasses on the table and James flipping through the storybook.

"Can't wait to see how it ends, huh?" she teased and quickly ran a hand through his hair as she passed behind him.

"Funny woman, you should be on the stage," he sarcastically tossed back as she lifted a glass and took a healthy sip.

"Really?" she sensed where he was going, but humoured him anyway as she sank into the space next to him. She let him throw an arm around her shoulders and manoeuvre them both until they were lying stretched out. She shifted slightly so she was on her side and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah – first stage outta town." He countered as he lazily ran a finger up and down her arm.

"With golden oldies like that, maybe I'll let you open for me." She raised her head to lean in for a quick kiss before settling down once more. He sighed contentedly and they simply lay in silence for a few minutes. Juliet felt her eyes grow heavy.

"Your cousin Donna called earlier; wanted a definitive yay or nay on Thanksgiving." James' voice eventually brought her out of that fuzzy state halfway between wakefulness and sleep. Juliet struggled to lift her head and look at him.

"What did you say?" she asked in sleepy curiosity.

"Told her I valued my life too much to give an answer without checking with you first." He smiled down at her.

"Good boy." She flopped back down to resume her previous position, arm sliding around his torso to hug him close. "What do you think?"

"Well, it's hardly like my family are breaking down the door with offers." He snorted.

"What about Doug?" Remembering her wine, she struggled to reach over and plucked it off the table, taking a drink.

"It's his first year in the retirement home – he's too busy chasing seventy year old tail."

"Ugh. What a thought!" Juliet gave an exaggerated shudder and James laughed. He leaned over and retrieved his own glass, twirling it between his thumb and index finger.

"Anyway, I like being included in your family. Bit of a new experience for me."

"Give it time, the novelty will soon wear off." She struggled to suppress a yawn. As much as she wanted to go to bed, their shifts the past week had been out of synch and she wanted to savour this quiet time they shared.

"Not if we had our own…" he trailed off and she detected a hint of nervousness in his voice. Suddenly she was wide awake and immediately propped herself up on her hands to look at him in shock.

"You're being serious?" She couldn't keep the incredulous tone in check and she instantly regretted it. His gaze darted from her face and he reached up to run a hand through his hair as he licked his lips.

"Uh, how do I put this delicately… we ain't gettin' any younger. Both in our late 30s now. The big 4-0 is creepin' up." She felt him hold his breath in anticipation of her response. He wasn't just fooling around, but he'd caught her off-guard and her mind went blank save for a characteristically flippant response.

"Ha! I'm not getting any younger you mean! You're good to go for decades yet." He smiled, but the tension remained around his eyes.

"Better believe it baby!" He paused and took another deep breath, unwilling to let it go. "So whadaya say?"

"Maybe," she replied non-committedly as she considered it. She'd be lying to say the thought hadn't crossed her mind. She was all too aware that she _wasn't _getting any younger and the stab of jealousy she felt on watching Rachel with Julian was becoming ever more acute this past year. This relationship was by far the best she'd ever had and she couldn't imagine a better father than the man before her.

"Course we'd have to get married first," he continued, sounding if it was more to himself than her.

"Is that a proposal? Didn't realise you were such a traditionalist."

"Uh… maybe…" the deer-in-the-headlights look in his eyes was almost amusing. Almost.

"Maybe! Didn't take you long to wimp out there, Ford," she smirked. Sometimes she wondered if he engaged his brain before speaking at times. Did she even want to get married again? Her head said no, but now that he'd brought the subject up, her heart was starting to rebel.

"Well I started talking, but then I realised I didn't have a ring or nothin' and now all I can hear is this voice in my head going "_Abort… Abort…_" he waved his hand slightly about his head in illustration. She reached up and grasped it to stop the manic movement. He _was_ actually being totally serious here.

"I don't need a ring, James." She stated quietly. He intertwined their fingers and flashed her a somewhat relieved smile at her encouraging words.

"So if I were to ask, ring optional, you'd say yes?" The eagerness in his voice was endearing and fully made her mind up, but she wasn't about to let him get off that easy.

"Only one way to find out, Detective."

"Infuriating woman!" he growled and swooped forward to claim a kiss. He tasted like wine and she groaned slightly as she reciprocated. After a moment she broke away with a smile and leaned back. Letting go of his hand she reached up and stroked his hair, her palm coming to rest on his cheek; rough with a day's worth of stubble.

"That's why you love me," she smiled smugly as he rolled his eyes in jest.

"I guess," he sighed and closed his eyes, leaning into her hand. She didn't want to contemplate ever living without this.

"Marry me, James." His eyes flew open once more and met her gaze with startled green eyes. How was it possible that her stomach was doing flip-flops, but she'd never felt calmer? This is what she wanted. What she needed. Her calmness must have rubbed off on him, for his face transformed into a smirk and mischievous twinkle.

"I don't know… I don't see no ring…" Her mouth dropped open and she removed her hand from his face to thump him on the shoulder. Refusing to respond, she simply glared at him. He merely laughed and grabbed her hand once more. "You'll have my kids?"

"Is that a deal breaker?"

"No, but I want to hear ya say it anyway." He smirked, suddenly seeming awfully sure of himself.

"Yes." She sighed in mock frustration. "Yes, I'll have your kids."

"Then you got it, Blondie." A big idiotic grin spread over his face, which she happily returned to him in full force.

"We're getting married," she whispered and bit her lip. She wouldn't have thought it possible for this day to get any more emotional, but boy was she wrong.

"We are." He nodded in affirmation and she leant in to kiss him once more. His arms slid down her sides and she felt his hands inch under her shirt, resting on her lower back to pull her closer, whilst her own found their way into his hair. It was languid and lazy, both of them content to take comfort from the other. Eventually the need to breathe caused them to break apart and she rested her head on his chest once more with an easy sigh.

Silence reigned for a bit until a thought struck her, causing her to smile and snigger slightly into his shirt.

"Whassup?" He asked in confusion.

"Rachel's going to kill us."

"How'd ya figure that?"

"She gets herself a date and we only go and steal her thunder!" He laughed; a deep rumble that travelled through her.

"Ah, she'll get over it."

"You'll have to sweet talk her." She raised herself into a sitting position and stretched.

"Deal. I'll go through the kid. Never fails."

"Don't be getting any ideas, there." He grinned and swung his legs over to rise from the couch.

"Oh I've already got plenty of ideas Sweetheart," he tapped his temple, "all up here."

"I shudder to think," she retorted with a grin and a roll of her eyes, prompting him to smirk down at her once more.

"So anyway, let's see about makin' those babies ya promised!" He reached down and scooped her up before she could utter a word of protest and started to head towards the stairs.

"Wait! The wine!" She squealed and he looked down in surprise at the uncharacteristic sound. Obliging, he returned to the table and leaned over so she could scoop up the two glasses.

"There'll be none of that when yer barefoot and pregnant." She snorted mid-sip from her glass with a splutter.

"One –what century do you think we're in and two – which one of us is the expert here?" She admonished. He shook his head in dismissal as he started to tackle the stairs.

"Depends which part you're talking about Sweetcheeks," he drawled in boast. She laughed and rested her head against his shoulder.

"I'll remind you of that in the delivery room, shall I?" It was his turn to laugh at her retort.

"Can't wait Blondie, can't wait," and with that they headed into their bedroom to celebrate, all tiredness forgotten.

#####

Thanks again folks, it's been a blast. xxx


End file.
